Lesson video

Hello, geographers.

My name is Mrs. Griffiths.

Welcome to today's lesson, which is all about sustainable water resources.

So we're gonna be thinking about different techniques to use water more sustainably, but also we're going to look at a real-world example of a project that has been used to increase water supplies, and that's in Northwest Kenya.

Should we get a started? And our outcome for today is as follows, I can explain how sustainable strategies can increase water supply while protecting the environment for future generations, and explain how the Turkana water scheme in Kenya is sustainable.

We have some keywords here, sustainable, which means long-lasting, and typically with minimal or no harmful impacts on the environment.

Water conservation, which is reducing waste, such as through leakages and unnecessary use, e.

g.

, using drinking water to flush toilets.

Groundwater management, which is the regulation and control of water levels, pollution, ownership and use of groundwater.

And grey water, that's water from sinks, showers and washing machines that, whilst not suitable for drinking, can be used for other purposes.

So look out for those keywords as they pop up across the lesson.

We have two key questions to answer, how can sustainable water supplies be increased? And is the Turkana water project sustainable? So let's start on that first one.

What is meant by the term sustainable? Now, we have this definition here from the Brundtland Commission, which is, "Sustainable development meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." And here, we have three different visualisations of sustainability.

Notice that all three diagrams have these three interlinked elements of the environment, the society, and also the economy.

They appear to be linked in different ways, but they all show all these three elements as being inextricably connected to one another.

And that's what sustainability is about, they all depend on each other.

You can't have the economy without the environment.

You can't have a stable society without the economy and the environment.

In the 21st century, there's a move towards sustainable strategies to increase water supply.

Now, what do you think that might involve? Well, Sam says, "Not wasting water would be sustainable, because then there would be more water for the future." Yep, absolutely.

Andeep suggests, "If you could recycle water, that would be sustainable, because then you wouldn't need to extract more from water, more water," sorry, "from rivers and underground," perhaps hinting at the impact on the environment and ecosystems. That's good as well.

Four approaches then, let's have a look at those in turn.

We've got water conservation, and my clue here is a water metre, we've got groundwater management, recycling, and also grey water.

So I'm going to be looking at each of those in turn with you.

Nearly half of British people think their households use 20 litres of water a day or less.

Do you think that's right? Doesn't sound very much, does it? In fact, the average Brit uses 142 litres of water a day.

So the average household is consuming 500 litres of water a day.

Pretty different.

Water conservation is about using water more efficiently.

Can you think of ways in which you could conserve water? Now, I'm sure you've got some good ideas about how you might do that in the home, but let's have a look at kind of more generally to start with, and then we'll focus in on what you can do at home.

So fixing leaks in water pipes is probably something that the water company should be doing.

Installing water-saving devices, well, that's something you could do at home in terms of low-flow taps and dual-flush toilets.

Installing water metres, people can see how much water they're using with a metre, and of course, that drives them to use a bit less water.

And then we've got educating people about using water less wastefully, perhaps that goes in on in schools, but also we need to recruit those adults to that mission as well.

Match the water conservation methods to the fact that best matches with them.

So pause the video now.

Have a read through those.

You're going to need four linking lines.

And if you said, "Well, fixing leaks in water pipes links to this idea that millions of litres of water are lost from leaks every day." We've got installing water metres, because, on average, households with water metres used 13% less water.

Installing water-saving devices, like a mixer shower uses five litres water per minute compared to a power shower, using 13 litres of water per minute.

And then we know the last matchup, don't we? Educating people, of course, such as turn the tap off when they brush their teeth, is really just getting to people to get 'em to start thinking about their use of water, and rather than assuming that it's a free and endless good.

Well done on that.

So let's have a think about groundwater management now.

The aim of sustainable groundwater management is to balance abstraction with recharge.

And Aisha asks, "Does that making sure you don't take more water from an aquifer than naturally goes back into it?" Here, we've got a diagram showing the aquifer between that impermeable layer of rock, and above it, we have porous rock and soil that the water has trickled through.

Now, abstraction is about pumping water to the surface for irrigation, and recharge is about infiltration and percolation, gradually refilling the aquifer.

So it is about that balance.

Groundwater management also involves avoiding contamination of groundwater resources.

Anything used on the land could potentially gradually move through the soil and permeable rock to contaminate groundwater resources.

And we've got a list there of possible sources.

So lots of different sources there.

Salt added to roads in cold weather, that's an interesting one.

You wouldn't think about that one, would you? How can groundwater be managed sustainably? There are three main methods.

So let's have a look at those in turn then.

So we've got monitoring groundwater levels and limiting how much groundwater is pumped out to maintain a safe level.

So that's really important, isn't it? We understand what's under the ground.

We've got artificial recharge, redirecting water back into aquifers, diverting supplies and increasing storage.

And we've got regulating industries and agriculture.

So there's the potential source of pollutants.

So we need to stop or reduce groundwater pollution.

Check for you here, Jun, Lucas, and Sofia all have ideas about how to artificially recharge groundwater, which is or are best? So pause the video now and have a think.

Restart it when you have the answer.

And if you said, "Well, I like Lucas and Sofia's answers best," you'd be absolutely right.

I'm afraid Jun's answer, talking about sewage, that should be allowed to drain into soil and then our rock will end up polluting the groundwater sources.

Recycling wastewater, so wastewater is water that's been used in the home, in industry, or in farming, and it might have run off farmland or inter-city drains.

It's contaminated water.

And we've got the example here of toilet flushing.

So the UK has 45 million toilets, which flush 2 billion litres of wastewater into the sewage system every day.

A high percentage of our wastewater coming from that toilet-flushing activity.

Andeep says, "So do people drink recycled toilet water?" It is possible to recycle wastewater to such a high standard that it can be used for drinking water.

It's rare, and people don't really like that idea.

So, globally, most recycled wastewater is not used directly for drinking water.

So it's used for non-drinking purposes, such as irrigation of farmland, cooling in industry, and for recharging aquifers and rivers.

Almost all treated wastewater in the UK is returned to rivers in the sea.

So very little of it is directly recycled into the water supply system.

So it's possible.

Recycling grey water.

So grey water is the wastewater from sinks, washing machines, baths, and showers, but not toilets.

And we've got that example from Cape Town in South Africa, where grey water is being used for irrigation.

Reusing this wastewater for purposes like watering gardens or parks or for flushing toilets potentially is sustainable, because it reduces the need to use fresh water for these purposes.

So we are helping to look after the environment.

We've got a diagram here, showing how grey water collected from baths and showers can be used to flush toilets.

And if you have a look, there's another element to it, isn't there there? So warm grey water can be also used to reduce the amount of energy needed to heat water in a boiler.

We've got heat exchange technology involved in this particular system.

Check for you then, grey water includes wastewater that's been used to flush toilets, is that true or false? And remember, I'll need an explanation in a minute.

And if you said, "False," why is that? We have this as our explanation, so grey water does not include water that's been used to flush toilets, as that water is too contaminated to be used again without treatment.

However, one of the possible uses for grey water from baths, showers, sinks, and washing machines is to flush toilets.

Well done on that one.

Another check here.

Complete the diagram by adding the missing label.

So I'm missing four labels.

Pause the video now, and restart it when you have the answers.

How'd you get on? We had water conservation, being that approach linked to water metering.

We've got groundwater management, understanding what's in our aquifers under the ground.

We've got recycling, and we've got grey water.

Well done if you had all four.

Task for you here, so grab a pen, study this photo, which shows repairs being made to a water pipe.

I'd like you to explain how this activity helps to make water supplies more sustainable.

That's your first task.

Secondly, I'd like you to add annotations to outline, sorry, at least four ways in which a UK household could use water more sustainably.

So you've got two tasks there.

So pause the video, have a go at both of those tasks, please, and then restart it when you want to check your answers.

Best of luck.

Okay, how do we get on? Our answer to question one was as follows, fixing leaks in water pipes is an example of water conservation.

Millions of litres of water are lost from leaks every day in the UK, which is not sustainable, because then more fresh water has to be taken from rivers or groundwater to make up for what is lost.

Water conservation means less water waste and more efficient use of water, which is more sustainable.

I think with that answer, I like the way they've used the keywords.

I would like you to perhaps have sort of developed a little bit, and where you talk about rivers and groundwater, maybe talked about the impact on the ecosystem, if we're depriving that ecosystem with lots of water for long periods.

Secondly, you had to add annotations to that image of a house to illustrate four ways in which UK household could use water more sustainably.

Here, we haven't drawn, we've just written.

So educating people about using water less wastefully, one example would be taking shorter showers.

Recycling grey water, for example, collecting bath water and using it to water the garden is another option.

We've got installing water metres, so people can see how much water they're using.

And then installing water-saving devices, for example, low-flow taps and dual-flush toilets.

So if your annotations were a bit like that, well done.

Okay, so our second question today is about a specific example of a sustainable water scheme, or is it sustainable? Is the Turkana water project sustainable? Let's have a look at it.

Firstly, can you locate Kenya on my map of Africa and Eurasia here? Well, I'll help you out here.

Kenya is in East Africa.

So Kenya is a lower-income country in East Africa.

It's one of the most water-scarce countries globally.

Physical water scarcity is due to physical factors, including climate.

So let's zoom in and examine the climate of Kenya in a bit more detail.

So, here, we've got another satellite image.

I'm using the Geography Visualizer here to take a look at Kenya in a bit more detail.

Firstly, if I tell you a little bit about the human geography or the level of infrastructure there is in Kenya.

In 2022, almost a third, so 29%, of Kenya's population lacked access to improved water services.

Those are the type of services that provide safe drinking water by design, such as boreholes.

But going back to that satellite image, what can that tell us about Kenya's climate, do you think? We talked about physical water scarcity.

We've got this comment here, "The of the land means that the north looks much drier than the southwest, near to Lake Victoria." Well, that's a fair point.

This visualisation, so I've changed my view of Kenya here, and I've added a layer, which relates to annual precipitation, this shows us a much more detailed picture of annual precipitation in particular, not just climate as a whole.

Now, rainfall varies dramatically across Kenya.

We can see that from the colours.

But between regions, for example, you might receive 1,800 millimetres of precipitation in the drain basin of Lake Victoria, to less than 250 millimetres in the north per year.

Also, rainfall varies dramatically between seasons.

Kenya has two rainy seasons.

As a result of the movement of the Intertropical Convergence Zone, the ITCZ, north and south across the year.

So we get this band of rains that moves north across the year and then it moves south with the sun overhead, and that impacts the climate in terms of having those two rainy seasons.

Let's have a look at a climate graph here of the capital of Turkana County, which is called Lodwar.

So as we can see, Turkana is in the northwest of Kenya.

It's sparsely populated with a hot, arid, or semi-arid climate.

The county capital, Lodwar, receives just 210 millimetres a year in total.

And we can see those two rainy seasons, if we look at the climate graph, can't we, around April and November.

Most people in Turkana are engaged in subsistence farming, many of whom are semi-nomadic pastoralists, so that means they're looking after cattle.

In remote rural areas, the local community cultivate river plains after the floods recede.

But when the rivers dry up, people dig open pit wells in the riverbed to provide water for cattle and themselves.

And that's what we can see in this image here, where we can see it as a sort of human chain passing containers of water back up to the riverbank, with people digging into the riverbed.

From 2019 to 2023, the county experienced five consecutive years of below-average rainfall.

Climate change means rainfall is more erratic and drought is common.

The population grew significantly in Turkana County in the 1990s and the 2010s.

Now, here, I'm talking about people, but that also relates to cattle, because I said, remember, most people are pastoral farmers.

Water stress, when demand exceeds supply, has led to increasing conflict over water resources and grazing land.

And I have a quote here from a farmer from Lomokori in Turkana.

So he says, "We have to take our animals all the way to Uganda for water.

That causes conflict with other communities, who also rely on that water point.

Sometimes we have to give a goat or a cow as payments." So we get a bit the insight into that level of water stress, with people crossing international borders to find water for their cattle.

In Turkana, only 40% of the population have access to clean water, 90% live below the poverty line of $2.

15 a day.

We've got an image there of women and children, sorry, sheltering from the sun at a rural health clinic in Turkana.

So we get a bit of a sense of the landscape.

Family members may walk for hours to reach a water source, and lack of access to water creates challenges with sanitation, putting the community at risk of disease.

So some key problems here.

Check for you here.

Turkana County is a region affected by water stress, is that true or false? Remember, I need you to explain why.

And if you said, "True," what was your explanation? Well, in this region, the climate's arid or semi-arid, meaning water is scarce.

And in recent decades, the population has grown, and there's increasing conflict of water resources and grazing land.

Sometimes people even cross international borders in the search for water for their cattle.

Well done if you had something like that.

So what did the Turkana water project involve? Well, let's have a think about that.

Between 2019 and 2023, a UK non-governmental organisation, Practical Action, along with a Danish engineering company called Grundfos, were involved in a 2.

4 million pound project to improve water access.

And this image is giving us a bit of a clue as to what might be involved.

So, initially, there was groundwater management.

So those hydrogeological studies were undertaken to determine the quantity of groundwater to ensure new sites that might be drilled would actually provide a sustainable supply.

So there would be some longevity to the supply that they provide.

There was a lot of water there underground.

Borehole and solar-powered water pumps.

So these new systems were drilled, equipped, and installed at eight locations identified by local people in Turkana County.

New pipeline, so where high-yielding boreholes already existed, the infrastructure was developed around those boreholes.

For example, a pipeline was extended from a borehole in Turkana East to reach up to 12 kilometres away.

Improved sanitation, so we had new latrines were constructed across 14 villages.

And linked to that, there were education campaigns.

So education was carried out about improved hygiene practises in schools and also within local communities, so with adults via community health volunteers.

Micro-irrigation schemes were established in four areas where boreholes had been drilled.

And we have a diagram here to give us an idea of how that might have worked.

Training about water conservation techniques used in agriculture was also provided to members of the local community.

After that training, local people decided to grow a variety of crops to plant, including local green leafy vegetables, watermelons, squash, and sweet potatoes.

Food production at the micro-irrigation sites boosted local incomes, as farmers are able to sell produce in local markets and hotels in the county capital, Lodwar.

And interestingly, this initiative most benefited people with disability as well as women.

Can you imagine why that might be? Increased water access has significantly freed up community members' time for other activities.

And as a result, 90% of micro-irrigation scheme farmers, those farmers were women, boosting their participation in income generation.

So they were no longer so time poor, they could get involved in these farming schemes.

"I used to be away for the whole day, collecting water from the river.

I was tired from walking so far.

Now, there's no problem.

I have water whenever I need," says Theresa.

People with disability, how are they affected? Well, you can imagine they were historically unable to contribute to pastoral farming, given it involves moving around to find that grazing land.

But people with disability have been able to contribute to small-scale farming, and therefore benefited from greater inclusion within their communities.

And this has been a social benefit.

So we've got two social benefits there.

The project has had social, economic, and environmental benefits then.

Solar-powered water systems have proven resilient to drought hazards, supplying essential supply to remote communities for long periods.

New borehole have meant domestic animals can access water without having to travel long distances, making pastoral farming a more resilient source of income.

And improved sanitation benefits over 4,000 people.

And those education campaigns, well, they reached about 50,000 people across the Turkana County, which the risk of environmental pollution and disease.

So we can see their social, economic, and environmental benefits.

Is it sustainable? Well, Practical Action, what do they say about sustainability? They say, "Involving communities in projects leads to a sense of ownership, strengthening their support and contribution, and ultimately improves the sustainability of the projects." The question is, did this project involve the local people? Well, yes, in lots of different ways.

So eight new borehole sites were identified by the county authority.

So investment was in keeping with listening to local priorities.

Water points are managed by local water associations.

So they serve as a framework for technology transfer.

Those new skills of water conservation techniques were being passed on in the process of this investment.

And water operators charge fees for access to services, which funds operation and maintenance of the new water points.

So this has some longevity because it's self-funding.

Locally-led decision-making about what to grow at micro-irrigation sites has enabled significant local buy-in.

Community members use locally available materials to construct latrines, making ongoing maintenance much simpler.

So lots of good ideas here.

And community health volunteers supported change in hygiene practises.

So you can imagine, volunteers were raising awareness within their own communities, and that carries a real weight, doesn't it, with people that they already know.

By including previously economically excluded groups, we looked at people with disability, we looked at women within the Turkana communities, the project has boosted household incomes and reinforced the dignity and capabilities of women and people with disabilities.

So it has so many different benefits, and a lot of them linked to the way they've involved local people.

Check for you to hear then, which of the following are social benefits of the project? Pause the video now, and then restart it when you have the answer.

And if you said, "Well, A, C, and D are all social benefits, but when I look at B, I think, 'Well, provides a boost to rural incomes, that sounds like an economic benefit,'" you'd be absolutely right.

We were looking for social benefits, weren't we? Okay, so I have three tasks for you here.

Let's have a look at the first two to start with.

So number one says, "List three facts about the geography of Turkana County to show the water project was needed." Secondly, sort the following benefits of the Turkana project into three categories.

And those categories are social, economic, and environmental.

So you're gonna need to read through those benefits to sort them out.

My third task is the trickiest.

Do you think the Turkana water project is a sustainable solution to water stress in Northwest Kenya? And I'd like you to explain your answer.

So we've got three tasks there.

As I say, third one's gonna involve the most thought.

If you pause the video and restart it to check your answers, I'll be ready to talk you through ours.

Okay, how do we get on? So question one said, "List three facts about the geography of Turkana to show the water project was needed." Your answer might include, "Well, we had, firstly, 90% of the county's population live below the poverty line.

Only 40% of access to safe water, have access to safe water," sorry.

"And water stress, thirdly, has led to conflict in rural communities." Maybe you had something like that.

Well done.

Secondly, you were asked to sort the following benefits into three categories.

So our categories are social, economic, and environmental.

In the social basket, we have increased water access, means children are less time poor, so they attend school.

Better hygiene and sanitation practises reduce the risk of disease also.

Within the economic basket, we have pastoral farming is a more drought-resilient livelihood, but also food production at micro-irrigation sites boosts local incomes.

And then there was an environmental benefit, wasn't there? Improved sanitation, in this case, latrines, protects the quality of groundwater.

I'm sure you got all of those sorted out.

Well done.

And then, thirdly, there was my explain question.

Do you think the Turkana water project is a sustainable solution to water stress in Northwest Kenya? And you were asked to explain your answer.

So you might have written something like this, "The project involved local people in decision-making." And I've got an example there of, you know, picking the borehole sites, but also picking the crops to grow micro-irrigation sites, as well as technology transport, which supports ongoing maintenance of new infrastructure.

Further, careful groundwater management, involving hydrogeological surveys to establish which sites would provide sustainable water supplies to the rural communities, those were carried out as well.

Thirdly, a focus on sanitation help to protect the environment and secure water quality.

With locally-led adaptation of livelihoods and more reliable access to water and improved sanitation, rural communities in Turkana are more resilient to future droughts, making the project a sustainable adaptation to water stress.

Well, I hope you have something as well argued as that.

What I particularly like about the answers, we've used some of the keywords there, and we've got a little bit of a summing up there towards the end.

So perhaps double-check your answer has done something similar.

Overall then, what have we done? Well, we've been looking at sustainable use of water resources and thinking about, well, they're long-lasting, with minimal or no harmful impact on the environment, so that's what they are.

But let's think about what those sustainable strategies are we examined in detail.

So we had water conservation, we had groundwater management, and also recycling.

With our located example, the locally-led and NGO supported Turkana water project in Kenya is an example of a local scheme that has increased sustainable water supplies.

Careful groundwater management, involving surveys ahead of drilling new solar-powered borehole, and improved water access, has helped the local community to adapt to the impacts of climate change.

So we've really dug into it there, haven't we? And then we've looked at a located example.

Well done on all your work.

We had three tasks on that second learning cycle, didn't we? Which is quite tough.

So well done, and I look forward to seeing you again soon.