7.4.1

Hard Engineering Schemes

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Water Transfer

Water transfer is one example of a large-scale hard engineering scheme that tries to provide a techno-fix to water disparity.

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South-North water transfer: China

  • China’s South-North Water Transfer Project aims to deliver 25 billion m3 of freshwater per year to the drier north by two routes (central and Eastern). A third western route is currently being planned.
  • As 2/3rd of the farmland are in the North and 80% of the water is in the south, this provides a perfect opportunity to distribute the water to ensure agriculture and water security for the nation.
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Cons: economic

  • The Water Transfer is expensive - estimating to cost around US$80billion in 2015. This is before maintenance costs and water prices are considered.
  • It is likely to be too expensive for the farmers, resulting in them continuing to use groundwater despite the scheme.
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Cons: social

  • Over 300,000 people have been displaced for the construction of the Water Transfer's central route.
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Cons: environmental

  • Transferring water via Water Transfer does not address the main causes of water shortages in the North. The North has a limited water supply because of the pollution of water sources, water inefficient agriculture and poorly managed use for industry.
  • By removing water from the Yangtze it may further reduce discharge levels. The impacts for the river ecosystems will be devastating, in addition to those already caused by the Three Gorges Dam.

Mega Dams

Mega dams (e.g. the Three Gorges Dam) are a hard engineering scheme that cost a significant amount of money and have controversial socio-economic and environmental effects.

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The Three Gorges Dam pros

  • The Three Gorges Dam is designed to control flooding on the River Yangtze and improve the supply of water by regulating the flow.
  • The Dam would also benefit locals by providing HEP energy and making the river navigable. This was crucial for the economic development in China to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels, in particular, coal.
  • The water held back by the Dam can also contribute to the water being transferred by the South-North Water Transfer.
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The Three Gorges Dam cons

  • 632km2of land was flooded, including 1,500 villages and towns to form the reservoir behind the dam.
  • 1.3 million Chinese residents were relocated and the local history from those villages was lost.
  • Water quality is poor because of the surface runoff allowing industrial waste, sewage and agricultural chemical runoff to enter into the Yangtze further upstream.
  • Ecosystems were flooded and destroyed, leaving animals without a habitat. Vegetation decay led to the release of methane.

Desalination Plants

Desalination plants provide an effective way of removing the salt from seawater to produce clean safe drinking water. The process is both financially expensive and energy extensive.

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Desalination plants: Israel

  • The source of salt water for Israel's desalination plants is the Mediterranean Sea.
    • By 2013, Israel had five fully functioning desalination plants.
    • By 2020, Israel aims to supply 70% of its domestic water supplies from desalination plants.
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Pros

  • Desalination plants provide a supply of water that is both reliable and predictable.
  • The desalination plants are able to produce up to 600 tonnes of clean drinking water an hour.
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Cons

  • Desalination plants are so energy exhaustive that each plant needs its own power station.
  • The by-product of the salt water is brine (a very salty liquid), which can be extremely damaging to the environment.

Jump to other topics

1Tectonic Processes & Hazards

2Option 2A: Glaciated Landscapes & Change

3Option 2B: Coastal Landscapes & Change

4Globalisation

5Option 4A: Regenerating Places

6Option 4B: Diverse Places

7The Water Cycle & Water Insecurity (A2 only)

8The Carbon Cycle & Energy Security (A2 only)

9Superpowers (A2 only)

10Option 8A: Health & Human Rights (A2 only)

11Option 8B: Migration & Identity (A2 only)

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