CHAPTER 4 QUESTIONS

1. Describe ways in which the water quality might be poor.

Answer: The water can be mixed with bacteria from sewage when the mixes
together. Also, the water can be polluted with heavy metals that can be toxic.
Plus, the water may contain pesticides or fertilizers that have been washed into
lakes from soil.

2. Describe three important factors that must be considered to choose the

location of a dam.

Answer: Before building a dam, the constructor will have to make sure that the
place has a narrow valley, as wide valley will cost a lot. Also, they need to
ensure that it's high up a valley to create a great potential energy. Furthermore,
the area where the dam is built should have an average temperature which isn't
too hot to prevent evaporation of water. it can also be built away from populated
areas.

3.Explain why people next to a dam may not want it to be built.

Answer: If there is any damage happened to the dam, it can cause flooding.
Also, the dam might alter the supply of water to people living downstream.
People in the area who is working in a fishing industry may be affected as the
dam can damage the fish lifecycle. Moreover, building a dam in an area will
cause most of the people living there to relocate.

4. Explain why water in some urban areas is usually safer to drink than that in
rural areas.

Answer: Urban areas like cities are highly populated hence they pressurize the
government to provide safe drinking water. Also, it's easier for the government
to supply fresh water in urban areas as they're all close to each other instead of
houses being scattered around. Furthermore, in urban areas they're more likely
to have a proper sanitation system than rural areas.
5. Give reason why fresh water may not be safe to drink (4).

Answer: Fresh water including water coming from rivers, lakes ,and wetlands.
This water may not be safe to drink as they may contain bacteria from sewage
that may lead to water - borne diseases like cholera. Furthermore, this water
may contain chemicals like fertilizers and pesticide which have been washed
from the soil. Also, fresh water can be contaminated with heavy metals which
can be toxic.

6. Describe how electricity is generated in hydro-electric plants.

Answer: Once the sluice gates are opened, the water flows from the reservoir to the
downstream outlet through the pipes as it go downward it rotates the turbine
which rotate the generator and the generator generates the electricity.

7. What is ground water? and what is the difference between groundwater flow
and through flow?

Answer: Ground water is the water that flows in the soil, and in between rock
under the surface of the ground . Ground water flow is the process by which
infiltrated water flows through rocks , while the through flow the water flows
through the soil.

8. Distinguish between physical & economic scarcity of water.

Answer: Physical water scarcity arises when there is no enough water for
human needs , while economic water scarcity arises when there is enough water
available but the money do not exist to extract enough for human needs.

9. What is the difference between distillation & reverses osmosis.

Answer: Distillation is the purification of the water by boiling the solution , so

that the liquid evaporates and the water cooled when the vapor get condensed
reverse osmosis on the other hand is done by pumping at a very high pressure
through fine membranes.

10. Explain the malaria cycle. (5)

Answer: Malaria is caused by a plasmodium which is transferred by a female

mosquito who breads in stun gent water. This mosquito go bit a person who is
infected by malaria, so the plasmodium get transferred to her body and starts
to multiple inside the mosquito's body. Then when the mosquito bite an
uninfected person the plasmodium get transferred to his body and get into his
liver cells and starts to multiply until it burst and enters the blood.

11. Describe four strategies to eradicate malaria.

Answer: The government can drain the wetlands where mosquito breeds; hence
prevent them from breeding. Also, they can introduce fish who feeds on the
larvae and spill oil to prevent the mosquito from breeding. Moreover, spraying
insecticides inside buildings.

12. Explain how the risk of typhoid and cholera can be reduced?

Answer: To prevent such diseases from spreading among the population is to

ensure drinking water and sewage are not mixed, therefore a good sewage
treatment is important . Also, to encourage people to use toilets instead of
excreting next to rivers or lakes. Moreover, people need to make sure to drink and
use safe water to wash and prepare food.

13. Explain the steps in sewage treatment.

Answer: Sewage from houses and industries is taken to sewers where there is
treatment in pipes the sewage pass through a rough grid to remove all the large
objects and then it pass through the primary settling tank where all the human
waste known as sludge settles at the bottom of the tank. Then, it flows to the
secondary treatment , oxidation tank where oxygen is bubbled through water to
encourage the bacteria to help break down the dissolved matter. After that the
water will flow to the secondary settling tank where the bacteria settles at the
bottom forming more sludge . The water then flows to the other side of the tank
as effluent , all the sludge will be carried to the sludge digester which is an
oxygen free methods lead to growth of bacteria which break the sludge and
release methane which can be used later.

14. Why does agriculture pollute water?

Answer: The fertilizers that contain excess of nitrogen and phosphorus and
used to increase the yield can be washed or leaked to river and lakes, hence
contaminate the water and cause eutrophication. Also, in animal forming the
animal can excrete next to rivers and transfer the bacteria to the water that
cause water borne disease. Moreover, the soil is washed off the field into the
nearby lakes or streams.

Answered by Laila Gabr Under the supervision of Sally

Mahfouz.