Uses of Water
Water has three main uses:
- Domestic — water used in homes (drinking, washing, cooking, sanitation).
- Industrial — water used in factories and manufacturing.
- Agricultural — water used for farming and irrigation.
How Is Water Collected?
| Method | How it works |
|---|---|
| Wells, boreholes and aquifers | Digging underground to access groundwater sources. |
| Reservoirs | Creating dams to trap bodies of water into reservoirs. They can also be used for hydroelectric power. |
| Desalination | The use of distillation to remove salt from salt water. |
Aquifer — water seeping down through a permeable layer of earth and settling on top of an impermeable layer.
Water Shortages
| Causes | Impacts |
|---|---|
| Geology (underground water sources) | Conflicts due to shared rivers |
| Dry climates | Health impacts / poor sanitation |
| Lack of rivers | Loss of agriculture |
| Infrastructure such as leaking pipes, which wastes water | Loss of industry (water is important for cooling in factories) |
| Lack of freshwater due to pollution | Limits on development |
Shared river basins (conflict statistics):
- 260 river basins are shared between countries.
- 13 river basins are shared by 5+ countries.
Solutions to Water Shortages
- Desalination plants — remove salt from sea water to produce freshwater.
- Water transfer schemes — moving water from an area of surplus to an area of deficit.
- Dams and reservoirs — store water for later use.
- Groundwater management schemes — controlling the extraction of underground water.
- Recycled water — collecting and reusing rainwater.
- Water conservation schemes — educating the population to use less water.
Case Study: Water Supply in Lesotho (South Africa)
Rainfall Distribution
- North east Lesotho experiences up to 1000 mm of rainfall.
- Western Lesotho experiences less than 250 mm of rainfall.
Lesotho Highlands Water Project
- A water transfer scheme consisting of 6 major dams (e.g. the Katse dam).
- The project aims to create a stable water source for Lesotho and will sell any water surplus to areas of water deficit in South Africa, such as Johannesburg, for a price.
- This not only mitigates the chances of water shortage in the country, but also benefits Lesotho economically.
- The project will transfer 2000 million litres of water.
Other Water Sources in Lesotho
- Rivers — such as the Senqu river, which provides water to locals for domestic use.
- Rainwater recycling — from the high levels of relief rainfall found in North east Lesotho.