Learning Objectives • To understand some of the issues raised by Inter-Basin Water Transfers. • To see how issues can be used in an ‘assess’ question.
Why? Assess the extent to which plentiful supplies of water in some parts of the world can be used to make up shortages elsewhere. (15 marks) Key points: • scale; • within/between countries; • +ve/-ve; • winners/losers etc ASSESS!!
Water transfers- a quick fix? Receiving area Source area Less water Ecosystem changes Pollution • Leads to reduced use by locals, may increase poverty • Degradation/ destruction • Less functioning • Less productive • Less dilution • More concentration of pollutants • More silt More water Development demands Agricultural demands Pollution • Solves existing demand • leads to greater use • Rising megacities and Industrial growth • tourism especially golf courses • Improved human health • Encourages unsustainable irrigated farming by agri- business • Pollution from nitrate eutrophication and salination • Transfers pollution from original river to new location • Ecosystem destruction Examples of existing schemes International Lesotho to South Africa: Lesotho Highlands Water Project Turkey to Israel by tanker National: Snowy Mountains-Australia Melamchi Nepal Tagus-Mercia Spain Proposed schemes International Turkey to Israel undersea pipelines Austrian Alps to Spain + Greece by pipeline National: South-North transfer- China Ebro -Spain Ob to the Aral Sea NAWAPA Alaska to California
Mega Tech Fixes: China’s South–North water transfer Demand from industrial centres, high population density and intensive agriculture. Low rainfall and over abstracted groundwater: physical scarcity Externalities • Industrial growth along routeways will exacerbate existing pollution problems • Changes in water balances: reduced water in Yangtze means less dilution and more pollution • Displaced people especially from Dang Jiang Kou dam . . . Western Routes Work starts 2010, at high altitude, very difficult 500 kms at 35000 m above sea level Central routes 1267 km diversion. May have to use some water from 3 Gorges reservoir to help Beijing Tianjin Eastern Route 1, 155 km long diversion Yellow River CHINA Shanghai Yangtze River 0 mls 250 Originally planned 1952, started 2002 , due to finish 2050. Chief player: Government sponsored ‘South to North Water Transfer Project Company, with each province having a local water company. Involves huge civil engineering works, 3 major canals, pipelines, tunnels, pumping stations South China Sea One of the largest water transfers globally. Aim: to divert 45 bn m 3/year from the water surplus river basins of the S and E to the water deficit areas of the North, especially Beijing and Tianjin
Inter-Basin Water Transfers (I BT) A multi billion Euro scheme designed to divert water from Spain's rainy north to it's parched south is dividing the Spanish nation.
Water flowing south Vicente Sicilia's company exports 60 million kilos of tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and celery each year, much of which ends up in British supermarkets. To him the Spanish government's National Hydrological Plan makes perfect sense. "Here in Murcia we've got a wonderful climate, good land hard working people. There's just one thing missing water". The Spanish government says the water is needed for the agribusiness sector that covers much of southern Spain in a sea of polytunnels and plastic sheeting.
Water flowing south The idea is to siphon off "excess water" from the River Ebro, which springs in the Pyrenees and ends just south of Barcelona. It involves building 118 dams and more than 1000 km of canals and pipelines with an estimated price tag of 18 bn Euro. One third of the money is supposed to come from European taxpayers.
The plan has been stopped! The Spanish government's announcement is good news for the wetlands of the Ebro Delta "We have stopped the water transfer, but still have threats from the basin plan" —Dr Carles Ibañez, SEO/Bird. Life
Tasks • Two groups – one studying the Tagus-Segura IBT in Spain, one studying the Lesotho Highland Water Project in southern Africa. • Each pair has information about the case study, which needs to be summarised. For example – positive/negative impacts; winners/losers - and then contribute to a group discussion about your findings. • Each person will need an overall summary of the case study eg on A 3. • You will then be paired with a pair from the other group and you will teach other about your case study. Water Transfer scheme The Tagus – Segura Transfer, Spain The Lesotho Highland Project, Southern Africa What is being done Positives/Negatives Winners/Losers
Summary • What common issues arise with Inter-Basin Water Transfers? • Are they a better solution than dams?
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