GEOGRAPHY IGCSE: WATER USAGE. It contains: water usage in LEDC and MEDC countries. Case studies: Manchester, Northern Ireland and Nigeria.

1. IGCSE GEOGRAPHY
13. WATER USAGE
IN LEDC AND MEDC
COUNTRIES
PLUS 3 CASE
STUDIES

2. The amount of water used in the world every day is very
uneven.
MEDCs use more water than LEDCs - households, farming and
industry all demand water.

3. What the water is used for depends on the country.
In general, LEDCs (like Bangladesh and Malawi) will have
most of their water used in agriculture (farming) and little in
industry or domestic use. Bangladesh has farming as a large
part of its economy so a large percentage of their water is
used for that purpose.
MEDCs (like the UK) have a more significant use of water for
domestic reasons. MEDCs also tend to have a higher
percentage for industrial use.
There are exceptions. The USA is an MEDC, but it still has a
high amount of water used for agriculture because there is
also lot of farming across the country.

4. The amount of water used per person in each country
changes dramatically.
The bar chart shows the total amount of water used per
person in selected countries.

5. In MEDCs irrigation is mechanised.
Sprinklers or timed irrigation feeds are used.
Where agriculture is common, vast amounts of water can be
released at the touch of a button.
In LEDCs irrigation channels are prone to losing water
through evaporation.

6. Agricultural irrigation in a soya bean plant field, Iowa, USA

7. Industries in MEDCs can be on a large scale, and so demand a
lot of water.
The steel industry is an example of an industry which needs a
large water supply for manufacturing purposes.
LEDCs have smaller scale cottage industries.
They demand less water in the production of items.
However as more multinational companies locate in LEDCs
there will be more demand on water.
For example, in India, drinks manufacturers use over a
million litres of water a day to produce drinks.

8. Many women mixing ingredients to make cow dung soap in India

9. In MEDCs there are a lot of facilities which demand water use.
For example, showers, baths, washing machines and
swimming pools.
In LEDCs many people do not have access to piped water and
so use it more sparingly. Water may be brought to the home
from a well or stream.
As a country becomes more wealthy, there will be an increase
in its demand for water.
Higher levels of industrialisation and more domestic goods
such as washing machines all lead to an increase in demand
for water. With greater wealth there is also more demand for
spas, golf courses and even baths and showers.

10. There are problems in supplying water in MEDCs. These are:
• the quality of available water
• distribution
• the seasonal changes in supply
• broken pipes when transporting water
Both water supply and the demand for water need to be
managed.

11. In the UK there is a big issue with water supply. Areas which
receive high amounts of rainfall tend to be sparsely
populated.
One third of the UK population live in south-east England.
This is also the driest area in the UK.
Ways to manage the water supply include:
• making sure the broken pipes are mended (as water loss
from broken pipes can be as much as 30 per cent)
• using reservoirs and dams in one area to pipe water into
large urban areas
• making sure that the water supply is of good quality -
reducing fertiliser use on farms helps this

12. In December 2010, over 40,000 people had water supply
problems in Northern Ireland.
One reason was because the water pipes were quite old -
some over 60 years old.
This meant that when there was a spell of very cold weather,
many pipes could not cope and the pipelines failed.

13. The demand for domestic water can be monitored.
Households with water meters in the UK use less water in
general than those without.
Households can also conserve water.
Ways to do this are:
• having a shower instead of a bath
• collecting rainwater to use on the garden rather than tap
water
• recycling bath water to flush the toilets with
• installing more efficient versions of appliances such as
washing machines

14. Industries can also look to recycle waste water.
For example, when using water for cooling in steel-making,
the water can be recycled again and again in the process.
In agriculture, drip-feed irrigation systems could be used
rather than sprinkler systems.

15. Much of Birmingham's tap water comes from over 100 km
away.
There are five dams in the Elan Valley which can supply
Birmingham with 16
Reasons for choosing the Elan valley location
Deep narrow valleys to hold the water in.
Impermeable rock means the water wouldn't leak away.
A high annual rainfall of 1,830 mm.
The area is higher than Birmingham, so the water can flow
using gravity rather than pumps.

16. Craig Goch Dam, Elan Valley

17. Pen-Y-Garreg reservoir, Elan Valley

18. Future expansion of the scheme raises problems.
The local environment would be damaged.
There would be increased traffic and noise from the
construction of dams to provide extra capacity.
The river flow downstream would be affected, along with the
wildlife.
Also more land would be affected when pipes are run across
it.

19. There are problems in supplying water in LEDCs. These are:
• lack of availability of clean water
• diseases spread via the water supply
• water pollution

20. One in eight people of the world population do not have
access to safe water.
60 million children are born each year in LEDCs who do not
have access to safe water.
In LEDCs using appropriate technology is usually the best way
to manage supply.

21. Women and children collecting drinking water from an
artificial well in Senegal

22. Wells, dug by hand, are a common way of accessing water,
but the supply can be unreliable and sometimes the well itself
can be a source of disease.
Gravity-fed schemes are used where there is a spring on a
hillside. The water can be piped from the spring down to the
villages.
Boreholes can require more equipment to dig, but can be dug
quickly and usually safely. They require a hand or diesel
pump to bring the water to the surface.

23. In addition to locating new sources of water, some strategies
help to reduce the need for water. These include:
• harvesting (collecting) rainwater landing on buildings
• recycling waste water to use on crops
• improving irrigation techniques
• growing crops less dependant on a high water supply
• minimising evaporation of water
As LEDC cities grow, so does the demand for water. The
problem doesn't end when water supplies have been improved
and pipes put in place. The water has got to come from
somewhere, and the source of supply may be scarce.
It is LEDCs which have the lowest access to safe water.

25. Without safe water, people cannot lead healthy and
productive lives.
Areas which are in poverty are likely to remain in that way.
One example where non-governmental charities have helped
break this cycle is in Nigeria.
In Nigeria only 38 per cent of people have access to
sanitation.
A community led total sanitation project (CLTS) was started
by one non-governmental charity.

26. In one year, the project helped 2.5 million people gain access
to sanitation.
Areas with poor infrastructure, high rates of illness and
poverty were identified, and the charity worked with the local
population in these areas.
The teams worked with the people and educated them as to
how poor hygiene and sanitation can make people ill.
This included how it can also make others in the community ill.
Toilets were built using local, affordable materials.
Key people in the community led the work.

27. Jakarta in Indonesia has a rapidly growing population and
water companies do not have the resources to supply reliable
and safe water to everyone.
This means that a large proportion of the population are
drinking contaminated water and are vulnerable to disease. In
addition, salt water is also contaminating groundwater, which
is making the problem worse. This is a particular problem in
shanty towns such as Marunda.
Like most shanty towns, Marunda lacks basic services such as
water supply, sanitation and electricity. People there have a
poor standard of living and a low quality of life. Conditions are
crowded and disease spreads easily, contributing to low life
expectancy and high infant mortality rates.

28. In the past, people have relied on water from tankers or street
sellers who charged high prices.
Child playing in polluted water in Jakarta, Indonesia

29. The Jakarta city authorities tried to invest in basic services but
there was a lack of funding.
They then sought investment from abroad.
In 1999, Thames Water began a £60,000 project to bring piped
water to Marunda.
The project involved local people from the early stages to
ensure that their needs would be met appropriately and that
the project was sustainable.

30. By the year 2000, over 1,600 homes in Marunda had piped
water.
Water can now be obtained more cheaply, allowing money to
be spent on food, clothes and education which is vital for the
country's long-term prospects.
There have also been health benefits because the risk of
disease from contaminated water has been reduced.

31. This scheme was a success as it was sustainable and worked
with the people to meet their needs.
Not all schemes have been as successful as this one.
The Pergau Dam in Malaysia, for example, was constructed in
partnership with the British government with the aim of
providing safe and reliable water and electricity.
But it did not meet the needs of the poorest people and the
scheme was an example of tied aid (this means that conditions
were attached which did not benefit Malaysia's population).

32. A street vendor fills his containers with clean water at a pump station in Jakarta