1 24.3 Sustainable Exploitation of Water: New Zealand and Ireland
Even though water is a natural renewable resource, there are some parts of the world that suffer from a shortage of fresh water (sea water is not fresh water).
There are a number of reasons why people cannot get access to fresh water, including:
z„ z„
Drought: This is when there is a long period of time without sufficient (enough) rainfall.
Access: Some countries do not have the facilities to properly clean and treat water before people use it. This means that even with a plentiful water supply, it is not safe to use.
Case Study: Irrigation in New Zealand Irrigation
Irrigation is the transport of water from one area that has a plentiful supply to another area that has low levels of rainfall or cannot access water easily. This water can be transported by pipes and canals.
Using Google Maps, find out
the distance from Ireland to New Zealand in kilometres.
Based on your knowledge of factors that affect climate, why do you think a country like New Zealand would need more irrigation than Ireland?
332 Ireland
New Zealand
Only .003% of water on Earth is fresh water that is available for human consumption.
