Theory question 207
Environmental Resources(a) List any four sources of water. (b) Describe any four ways in which water is useful as an environmental resource. (c) Highlight any three major problems resulting from water pollution.
Show the model answer
(a) Rain, rivers and streams, lakes, springs, wells, boreholes, seas and oceans, reservoirs/dams, melting snow and glaciers.
(b) Domestic use (drinking, cooking, washing); irrigation for agriculture; generation of hydro-electric power; transport on rivers, lakes and seas; fishing and food; industrial use (cooling, processing); recreation and tourism; habitat for aquatic life; minerals (alluvial gold, salt).
(c) Death of fish and aquatic life; water-borne diseases (cholera, typhoid); shortage of clean drinking water; rapid growth of water weeds blocking waterways; loss of fishing jobs and recreation; unpleasant smell; ecological imbalance.
Explain each use, not just name it.