Strategies to increase water supply
As the global population continues to increase, countries are finding ways to secure water supplies.
Dams and reservoirs
Rivers transport water to the sea. A large concrete wall built to trap water in a reservoir. block rivers so that A man-made pool of water used to store drinking water. of water build up behind, rather than drain away. This provides large supplies of drinking water all year round and reduces water insecurity, especially where precipitation may be seasonal. Dams and reservoirs can also prevent An overflow of water that submerges land., as the flow of the river is controlled, and they can also generate electricity through Energy generated from fast-flowing water.. There are over 600 dams in Africa. The Akosombo Dam in Ghana and the Aswan Dam in Egypt are two of the largest.
Water transfers
When a country has a water surplus in one area and a water shortage in another, supplies can be transferred. This is called a water transfer scheme. Reservoirs collect and store water in areas of high rainfall. A man-made waterway. and pipes transport the water to rivers or reservoirs in other parts of the country. Water transfer schemes can be found in lots of different countries. The city of Las Vegas is able to exist in the Nevada Desert because water is transferred to it. In Wales, water is often transferred from reservoirs to cities across England. In the Elan Valley in mid Wales, a chain of reservoirs have been constructed which were purposely built to provide drinking water to the city of Birmingham.
Desalination plants
It is not possible to drink seawater as it contains salt. A place where salt is removed from sea water. Also known as a desalinisation plant. remove the salt from seawater to make it safe to drink. Desalination plants could solve many of the world's water insecurity issues, but the process is expensive and therefore not viable in some developing countries. The UK has opened its first desalination facilities on the River Thames. The plant removes the salt from tidal water from the River Thames to help the UK during times of prolonged low rainfall and drought.