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Lecture

Water Crisis in China

In course

CIVIL-441: Water ressources management

L'ensemble des problématiques liées à l'eau est présenté afin d'avoir une vue globale de la gestion et de l'économie de cet élément essentiel à toute vie et toute activité. L'analyse des ressources et des besoins est présentée ainsi que les outils d'optimi ...

Description

This lecture discusses the water crisis in China, focusing on the challenges of water scarcity, pollution, and unsustainable usage in the North China Plain. It explores the impact on agriculture, urban development, and the environment, as well as China's efforts to address the crisis through projects like the South-to-North Water Transfer Project. The lecture also examines global water availability trends, sectoral water withdrawals, and the social disparities in access to clean water. Additionally, it delves into the projections of water availability based on climate change, population growth, and industrialization, highlighting the complex interplay between water resources and socio-economic factors.

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Related concepts (32)

Water scarcity

Water scarcity (closely related to water stress or water crisis) is the lack of fresh water resources to meet the standard water demand. There are two types of water scarcity namely physical and economic water scarcity. Physical water scarcity is where there is not enough water to meet all demands, including that needed for ecosystems to function. Arid areas for example Central and West Asia, and North Africa often experience physical water scarcity.

Water footprint

A water footprint shows the extent of water use in relation to consumption by people. The water footprint of an individual, community, or business is defined as the total volume of fresh water used to produce the goods and services consumed by the individual or community or produced by the business. Water use is measured in water volume consumed (evaporated) and/or polluted per unit of time. A water footprint can be calculated for any well-defined group of consumers (e.g.

Water resources

Water resources are natural resources of water that are potentially useful for humans, for example as a source of drinking water supply or irrigation water. 97% of the water on Earth is salt water and only three percent is fresh water; slightly over two-thirds of this is frozen in glaciers and polar ice caps. The remaining unfrozen freshwater is found mainly as groundwater, with only a small fraction present above ground or in the air. Natural sources of fresh water include surface water, under river flow, groundwater and frozen water.

Population growth

Population growth is the increase in the number of people in a population or dispersed group. Actual global human population growth amounts to around 83 million annually, or 1.1% per year. The global population has grown from 1 billion in 1800 to 7.9 billion in 2020. The UN projected population to keep growing, and estimates have put the total population at 8.6 billion by mid-2030, 9.8 billion by mid-2050 and 11.2 billion by 2100.

Water politics

Water politics, sometimes called hydropolitics, is politics affected by the availability of water and water resources, a necessity for all life forms and human development. Arun P. Elhance's definition of hydropolitics is "the systematic study of conflict and cooperation between states over water resources that transcend international borders". Mollinga, P. P. classifies water politics into four categories, "the everyday politics of water resources management", "the politics of water policy in the context of sovereign states", "inter-state hydropolitics" and "the global politics of water".

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