Water

Point accurately plotted and line drawn

Shading completed accurately using the key

(ii) Explain two ways in which a karez irrigation system is operated to grow dates and vegetables in a
desert oasis. You should develop your answer. (4)
• it is usually owned by a group of people in the village (rather than an individual); they share responsibility for
its operation/share the water/share the costs of building/maintenance • a (mother) well is dug down to the
watertable/ground water; to access water underground/(using gravity) a tunnel brings water to the surface •
the tunnel is dug/starts from the base of a hill or mountain; this allows water to be transported from
underground to dry areas where it is needed • a tunnel/narrow underground canal; minimises evaporation (in
the hot desert climate) • the tunnel can run for a long distance/

2(c)(iii) Suggest two disadvantages of using the karez system of irrigation. (2)
• (traditional skilled) labour is needed to dig/maintain the tunnels/not many people with this knowledge/skill •
digging/boring/maintenance takes a lot of workers/time/is hard manual work/is dangerous work/requires
machinery • is expensive to build/lining the tunnels with (pvc/plastic) pipes is expensive • machinery used to
bore/dig causes air pollution/harmful gases • owned by a co-operative/many owners/different percentage
shares/can cause conflict/disagreements over sharing/not enough to go around • water flowing through a
karez cannot be stopped/water can be wasted/it is inefficient/tunnels can leak/water is absorbed into the
ground/supplies too much water/can spoil crops • have to use the water as soon as it flows (any time of day) •
need frequent maintenance/repairs/cleaning • water is drying up/use of tubewells has lowered the water
table/wells and tunnels must be dug deeper • water is not (always) taken directly to the crops/(often) has to be
transported to the crops/only irrigates a small area • only feasible in specific geological landscapes

Explain how water is used in two different secondary industries in Pakistan. You should develop your
answer. (4)
• thermal power stations; to produce steam to move the turbines;
• mineral water industry; for bottling water this is the only input;
• iron and steel industry; to cool the furnace;
• HEP stations; pressure of water from a height or steep slope to move the turbines;
• pharmaceutical industry; in the manufacture of drips, syrups, injections etc;
• tanning industry; for washing/dyeing etc;
• food processing/beverages; for preparing juices/squashes/syrups/beverages etc;
• chemical industry; for manufacturing acids/bleach/other solutions etc;
• textile industry; for washing/bleaching/ blueing/dyeing/printing etc;
• cement industry;

Outline two advantages and two disadvantages of using irrigation on small-scale subsistence farms.
(4)
Advantages:
• can produce higher yields;
• extends farming seasons/can cultivate all year round;
• more land used for cultivation/can cultivate marginal land;
• can control the amount of water used;
• can grow a wider range of crops;
• can use over a wide area;
• saves time;
• more reliable than rainfall;
• can be cheap to install e.g. Persian wheel; Etc.
Disadvantages:
• cost of installation/maintenance;
• difficult to build;
• inundation canals only flow during rainy periods or when glacial/snow melt enters the rivers;
• waterlogging of soil;
• can increase salinity of soil;
• can cause siltation of barrages;
• unlined canals lead to seepage;

(4)

• Persian wheel;
• animals are used to turn/moves a wheel;
• the animals are blindfolded;
• turns a horizontal/smaller wheel;
• attached/geared to a vertical/larger wheel;
• buckets or pots attached to the wheel;
• the pots raise water from the well;
• pots spill contents into the channel to fields/irrigate field.
(b) (i) Name two examples of barrages. (2)
• Amandarra
• Balochi
• Chasma
• Guddu
• Islam
• Jinnah
• Kotri
• Kurrangarhi
• Marala
• Panjnad
• Qadirabad
• Rasul
• Siddha
• Sukkur
• Sulaimanka
• Taunsa
• Trimma

(ii) State the differences between barrages and dams. (4)

• Dams store water / barrages control flow of water;
• Barrages can supply little / small amounts / no electricity (dams are major suppliers of hydel power);
• Silting is a problem for dams (but not barrages);
• Maintenance cost is lower for barrages (more expensive for dams);
• Construction and or maintenance time is quicker for barrages (longer for dams);
• Construction cost is lower for barrages (more expensive for dams);
• Fewer or no people have to be evacuated for barrages;
• Barrages have less environmental impact than dams;
• Barrages can be built on flat land (dams require steep slopes);
• Dams have multiple uses whereas barrages do not;
• Dams provide water for a larger area than barrages;
• Barrage to deviate channel to an area where there is no river;
• Do not need to excavate a large area for barrages.

(iii) Suggest four problems caused by siltation. (4)

• Reducing water supply / less water available / water becomes silty / pipes blocked / reduces capacity of
reservoir / less water stored;
• Blocking the flow of water / blocks canals or rivers / chokes or blocks irrigation canals or pipes / water cannot
get through / floods may occur;
• Weakens foundations of dams / have to be emptied or strengthened / flow of flood water is hampered and
can damage dam / damage to turbines or machinery;
• Not enough water for irrigation / industry / domestic use;
• Reduces water available for hydel power / generation of hydel power stopped;
• Encourages growth of algae / eutrophication.

(d) Explain why waterlogging and salinity of soils causes problems to farmers. [6]
Reduces cultivable area / makes land un-usable
Reduces yield / damages crops
Reduces income / profit
Expensive to reclaim land / treat soil
Reasons why this occurs
Water table rises / water collects on the surface / water on roots
Evaporation (caused by hot climate)
Fertilisers add to salts in water
Salts left behind / form a hard crust on surface
Soil becomes infertile / toxic
Farmers use too much water / poor farming methods
Perennial water supply / available all year
 (e) Water pollution is a major problem in urban areas. With reference to examples, explain some of
the causes of this pollution, and why it is a major problem to the people who rely on this water supply.
[6]
Causes (res. 1)
Explanation of Human waste e.g. because no sanitation / untreated sewage
Industrial waste e.g. dumping in rivers
Litter / plastic/paper e.g. because no organised collection
Oil spills e.g. from washing of tanks / ship breaking
Agricultural runoff e.g. because of use of chemicals / fertilisers and insecticides
Problems (res. 1)
Not for drinking / poisonous / contaminates groundwater
Cost of treatment
Causes disease – risk of cholera, typhoid, diarrhoea , hepatitis, dysentery etc.
Not for food processing (e.g. fish canning)
Smells
Reduces fish catch / kills fish
Can damage machinery
Blocks ditches / canals / causes flooding– risk of malaria from stagnant water

(6)
Small dams
• Cheaper to construct;
• Less technical expertise needed;
• Can be built more quickly;
• Minimal disruption to people and environment;
Etc.
Large dams
• More people will benefit;
• Can produce HEP which is good for developing the country;
• Provides employment opportunities;
• A bigger area is utilized;

(d) To what extent can agricultural practices and water management be improved to prevent
waterlogging and salinity? Give reasons to support your judgement and refer to examples you have
studied. You should consider different points of view in your answer. (6)
It is possible to improve agricultural practices and water management to prevent waterlogging and salinity by:
• leaving parts of the land fallow – preventative measure • building more dams/reservoirs to store more water •
lining/temporary closure of canals to reduce water leakages • installing tubewells to flush the salt out of the
soil/so flow of water for irrigation can be controlled • planting eucalyptus trees to take in excess water when
land is badly waterlogged • digging surface/sub-surface drains • removing salts by adding gypsum/by reducing
fertiliser use • Salinity Control and Reclamation Projects (SCARP) • government legislation, e.g. water quotas
• cultivating salt tolerant crops • using high-yielding varieties which require less irrigation • using saline land for
livestock farming
• cost/time taken for farmers to maintain canals/tunnels • lack of investment in methods • replacing traditional
methods with tubewells lowers the water table and provides water for fewer farmers • literacy/education levels
may mean some farmers continue to overirrigate • SCARP projects date from 1958 and large public tubewells
are deteriorating/reaching end of their life • lack of access to/cannot afford high yielding varieties • traditional
irrigation systems are communally owned, change requires agreement/may generate disagreement

(d) The United Nations has predicted that Pakistan may become a ‘water scarce’ country by 2025. To
what extent can effective management of its water supply help Pakistan to avoid becoming a ‘water
scarce’ country in the future? Give reasons to support your judgement and refer to examples you
have studied. You should consider different points of view in your answer. (6)
Effective management of the water supply may help because:
• Pakistan has enough water but it is not evenly spread throughout the country;
• much water is lost through existing irrigation systems using traditional methods;
• water is polluted through industrial and domestic waste/limited environmental regulation;
• Pakistan needs to educate the people further about conserving water/reusing grey water; Etc. Effective
management of the water supply may not help because:
• population growth is leading to water scarcity and this should be tackled first;
• Pakistan is suffering the consequences of climate change and this is an international issue that requires
multi-national agreements;
• the Indus Water Treaty causes many issues and needs to be updated;

(d) Water is a valuable resource for development, yet Pakistan faces acute water shortages. 2600–
5300 litres of water per day are needed to grow enough food for one person compared with 50 litres of
water being needed per person per day for domestic use. Evaluate the extent to which the use of
water in agriculture in Pakistan can be made more sustainable. Give reasons to support your
judgement and refer to examples you have studied. You should consider different points of view in
your answer. (6)
water use in agriculture can become more sustainable:
· water losses from leaking pipes/unlined canals can be repaired/reduced/preventing waterlogging and salinity
· water saving devices/sprinklers/drip irrigation can be implemented to reduce water wastage
· install water meters so that farmers are aware of their usage
· clear dams/dykes to reduce waterlogging and salinity
· use of seeds/high-yielding varieties that require less water/drought resistant varieties
· education/training of farmers about water use and conservation
· restrictions imposed on farmers to constrain water usage
· modernisation of irrigation equipment water use in agriculture cannot become more sustainable:
· some farmers will not be able to afford water meters or other water saving devices/installing tubewells
requires huge investment
· some farmers use inefficient farming practices cause waterlogging and salinity
· some farmers are resistant to using modern techniques as they prefer their traditional practices
· growing population requires more food which means more water will be used to grow crops
· groundwater supplies are being used at a rate faster than they can be replenished
· there are too many problems with irrigation systems it would be impossible to fix them all, leakage from
canals reduces water availability