1.4- Water's Price Is Right Flashcards Preview

6GE03 - Water Security > 1.4- Water's Price Is Right > Flashcards

Flashcards in 1.4- Water's Price Is Right Deck (21)
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1
Q

how many people lack access to clean water?

A

1.2 billion

2
Q

how much money is spent each year worldwide in an effort to improve water supplies and sanitation?

A

$30 billion

3
Q

What is the definition of the word “commodity”?

A

More generally, a product which trades on a commodity exchange.

4
Q

What are some possible pitfalls of water companies?

A
  • they are a feature of a capitalist economy
  • they may not deliver water and manage water supplies in a safe and cost effective way
  • privatisation can mean that profits come before people
  • TNCs don’t have the same vested interests as local people
5
Q

What are some pitfalls of consumers?

A
  • sometimes make excessive use or return “grey water” in an unfit condition. e.g. farming leading to eutrophication of supplies or industry discharging pollution - so water is not safe for others to use
  • too much demand for lower prices and efficiency can prevent reinvestment and continued supply.
6
Q

who do water companies subsidise and exploit?

A

they subsidise the rich and exploit the poor

7
Q

In which country is the Guayas river located?

A

Ecuador (in Guayaquil, the capital city with a population of two million)

8
Q

What sources of pollution affect the Guayas river?

A
  • untreated domestic and industrial wastewater
  • petroleum laden discharges from shipping
  • pesticides and fertilisers from farming
9
Q

How many children were poisoned with hepatitis A in May 2005 as a result of the pollution in the Guayas river?

A

158 children

10
Q

up to how many people can 1 barrel of water be shared between in the slums of Guyaquil?

A

600-800 people are forced to share 1 drum of water

11
Q

how much can water lorries purchase a barrel of water for?

A

$4

12
Q

how much do water vendors sell one barrel for, from door to door?

A

up to $1600

14
Q

what problems can people face when relying on water from barrels sold by street vendors?

A
  • they cannot afford it, they can go up to two days without water
  • when it does arrive it can be contaminated , e.g. with e.coli
15
Q

How much do water vendors make per day?

A

£3.20 (£339/year)

17
Q

what have some commentators dubbed water as?

A

‘the lubricant of development’

18
Q

what are water vendors forced to do?

A
  • provide water for homes without any water supply at all
  • wake before dawn to fill 25 litre jerry cans
  • most will carry 14 at a time (350KGs)
  • the roads are dirt tracks, with lots of potholes and sewers running down the middle
19
Q

what are the problems of water insecurity related to?

A
  • accessibility: having a water supply and distribution network
  • access: freedom to use or income to buy water in a particular location
  • usage: entitlement to, and understanding of, water use and health issues
20
Q

What five parameters does the water poverty index (WPI) use?

A
  • resources
  • access
  • capacity
  • use
  • environment
21
Q

what are some examples of vocabulary for moral issues?

A
  • desperate measures
  • extortionate prices
  • struggling
  • power relationships
  • affordability
  • culpable
  • deceitful
22
Q

who has power over the poor people?

A
  • the rich
  • high power TNCs that control the water supplies and exploit the poor
  • the government; privatising the water supply and neglecting to give economic help to poorer people
27
Q

how does water become a commodity?

A

when it becomes something that people buy and trade rather than an easily accessible natural resource. when it is something that people need/want and are willing to pay for it