GCSE · Geography · AQA · Spec 8035

Impacts of water insecurity

Is a place with plenty of water always safe from water problems? Hold on to your answer. By the end of this lesson you might change it.

Sort it out

Who or what does water insecurity hit?

Pick a card, then choose the box it belongs in. Read the reason every time, even when you get it right.

Still to sort

Impacts on people (0)

What happens to people who use the water.

Where the line is: If a person uses the water or catches something from it, it's a people impact, even when food is part of the story.

Impacts on the economy (0)

Producing things: growing food and making goods.

Where the line is: Food production means producing food. Eating infected food and falling ill belongs with people.

Potential for conflict (0)

What may happen where there isn't enough water to go round.

Where the line is: It's a potential, not a promise: conflict may happen where demand for water exceeds supply.

6 of 6 still to sort.

Three boxes, six cards. If you remember one thing from the sort, make it the food boundary.

Hang on a second

So what actually IS water insecurity?

You just filed 'using polluted water' as an impact. But if the water hasn't run out, why does it count? The answer is in the definition.

Which is closest to what you think water insecurity means right now?

It just means an area has run out of water, or nearly has.It's about whether people have enough safe water to drink, and nothing else.Water availability isn't enough for people in an area to enjoy good health and earnings, either because there's too little or because it's poor quality.

How sure are you?

I'm sureI think soI'm guessing

It just means an area has run out of water, or nearly has.

This is a common misconception

That's only half of it. Lack of supply is one cause, but water insecurity is also caused by poor water quality. An area can have water and still be water insecure if that water is polluted.

It's about whether people have enough safe water to drink, and nothing else.

This is a common misconception

Too narrow. The test is whether water availability is enough for the population of an area to enjoy good health AND earnings. Earnings bring in the economy too: food production and industrial output.

Water availability isn't enough for people in an area to enjoy good health and earnings, either because there's too little or because it's poor quality.

This matches the evidence

Yes. Two tests: good health and earnings. Two causes: lack of supply, or poor water quality. Everything else in this lesson hangs off that sentence.

Water insecurity: water availability is not enough for a population to enjoy good health and earnings. It is caused by lack of supply OR poor water quality.

Predict, then check

Commit to an answer before you look. Your gut feeling is worth testing.

Cholera is a waterborne disease. Can someone catch it without ever drinking the contaminated water?

Build the chain

Reason it through

Why can water insecurity lead to conflict?

Link 1 of 4

First link · your turn

Start with the big picture. What is happening to demand for water around the world?

Locked — reveal the link above first

Your turn to write

Describe the impacts, then mark yourself

Describe the impacts of water insecurity. [5 marks]

Your answer

0 words · your answer stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

The mark scheme

Impact on people: using polluted water. (1 mark)
Impact on people: contracting waterborne diseases (e.g. cholera). (1 mark)
Impact on the economy: food production. (1 mark)
Impact on the economy: industrial output. (1 mark)
Potential for conflict where demand for water exceeds supply. (1 mark)

Model answer

Water insecurity has impacts on people, who may use polluted water or catch waterborne diseases such as cholera. It also has impacts on the economy, including food production and industrial output. Finally, where demand for water exceeds supply, there is potential for conflict.

Use the three boxes as your plan: people, economy, conflict. Name two impacts in each of the first two, and keep 'potential' in the third.

WHAT YOU'VE LEARNED

A quick recap of today's lesson.

Not enough good water affects people and the economy, and may lead to conflict.

What you need to know

Water insecurity: water availability is not enough to ensure the population of an area enjoys good health and earnings.
It is caused by lack of supply or poor water quality.
Impacts on people: using polluted water and contracting waterborne diseases.
Impacts on the economy include food production and industrial output.
Where demand for water exceeds supply, there is potential for conflict.

The big picture

Water insecurity is when water availability is not enough for the population of an area to enjoy good health and earnings, caused by lack of supply or poor water quality. Its impacts fall on people (using polluted water, catching waterborne diseases such as cholera), on the economy (food production and industrial output), and where demand for water exceeds supply there is potential for conflict.

Key points

1Water insecurity isn't only running out: poor water quality causes it too.

2A waterborne disease is transmitted in contaminated water and can be caught by bathing, washing, drinking or eating infected food; cholera is an example.

3Food production is an economic impact; falling ill from infected food is an impact on people.

4Demand for water resources is rising globally but supply can be insecure, which may lead to conflict.

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Worked example

Problem

A town sits beside a large lake, but the lake water is polluted. Could the town still be water insecure? Use the definition to decide.

⚠ Watch out

Filing 'food production' under impacts on people. Producing food is part of the economy. It's eating infected food and falling ill that is the people impact.

🧠

Memory hook

People · Economy · Conflict. Picture a polluted tap (people), a farm next to a factory (economy), and two queues at one pump (conflict).

✓

Check yourself

Without looking back: give one impact of water insecurity on people, one on the economy, and say when there is potential for conflict.

Flashcards

(10)

What is water insecurity?

When water availability is not enough to ensure the population of an area enjoys good health and earnings.

What are the two causes of water insecurity?

Lack of supply, or poor water quality.

Name two impacts of water insecurity on people.

Using polluted water, and contracting waterborne diseases.

What is a waterborne disease?

A disease transmitted in contaminated water.

Four ways a waterborne disease can be contracted?

Bathing, washing, drinking, or eating infected food.

Give an example of a waterborne disease.

Cholera.

Name two impacts of water insecurity on the economy.

Food production and industrial output.

Where is there potential for conflict over water?

Where demand for water exceeds supply.

What is happening to global demand for water, and why can that matter?

It is rising, but supply can be insecure, which may lead to conflict.

Food production vs falling ill from infected food: which box is each in?

Food production: the economy. Falling ill from infected food: people.

Tap any card to flip it, or use Study as deck to go through them one at a time. In the full lesson these run as a spaced-repetition deck — you rate each card Hard, Good or Easy and the tricky ones keep coming back until they stick.

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Who or what does water insecurity hit?

So what actually IS water insecurity?

Describe the impacts, then mark yourself

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