WJEC (B) GCSE Geography
Theme 2 Topic 3
Water deficit
Hodder Education Revision Lessons
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WJEC (B) GCSE Geography
Theme 2 Topic 3
Water deficit
Water deficit is where an area does not have enough water to
meet demand. Reasons for this could include:
• Low rainfall
• Lack of water storage
• High levels of evaporation
• High population, so high demand
• Lots of industry, e.g. agriculture so high demand
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WJEC (B) GCSE Geography
Theme 2 Topic 3
What are the effects of drought?
Drought is where an area receives less rainfall than normal over a long
period.
Effects in richer countries
• There are hosepipe bans.
• Public fountains are turned off.
• Private swimming pools, e.g. in
hotels, are closed.
• There are fines for illegal water
use.
• Water supply to homes is
stopped and water tankers are
provided for streets.
• There is some damage to
ecosystems, e.g. ponds.
Effects in poorer countries
• Animals die.
• Plants including crops and trees
die.
• People are forced to drink
contaminated water supplies.
• People suffer ill health due to
dehydration.
• Land turns to desert and erosion
increases.
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WJEC (B) GCSE Geography
Theme 2 Topic 3
How does drought affect
quality of life?
Question: Explain how drought might affect the quality of life
for people living in an LEDC. (5 marks)
Effects in poorer countries
• Animals die.
• Plants including crops and trees
die.
• People are forced to drink
contaminated water supplies.
• People suffer ill health due to
dehydration.
• Land turns to desert and erosion
increases.
These are the
effects. How
would they
affect the
quality of life of
people?
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WJEC (B) GCSE Geography
Theme 2 Topic 3
How does drought affect
quality of life?
Animals die
so people lose a supply of food and
might suffer malnutrition
Plants including crops and
trees die
so people have less firewood for fuel so
can’t cook food or heat water and can
become ill
so they become ill and can’t work so
People are forced to drink
contaminated water supplies they lose income
People suffer ill health due
to dehydration
so they can’t work and have to spend
money on medicine
Land turns to desert and
erosion increases
so farmers can’t grow crops so they
lose income and can’t afford food and
medicine
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WJEC (B) GCSE Geography
Theme 2 Topic 3
What problems does drought cause?
Question: Complete the table below to explain how drought can
cause problems for a country’s government. (4 marks)
Less crops are produced to sell
abroad
so…
Because people are not working, they so…
are not paying tax
The government may have to provide
aid like water and food
so…
Lots of people are ill
so…
Exam tip: This question is different from the previous question
because it is not about the impacts on individuals.
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WJEC (B) GCSE Geography
Theme 2 Topic 3
Problems caused by drought
Fewer crops are produced to sell so less income is made for the
abroad
country from exports
so the government receives less
Because people are not working, tax and has less money to spend
they are not paying tax
on providing services
The government may have to
provide aid like water and food
so this is expensive and the
government has less money to
spend on providing or improving
the country’s infrastructure
Lots of people are ill
so pressure on hospitals and more
money is spent by the government
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WJEC (B) GCSE Geography
Theme 2 Topic 3
Managing drought
Complete the diagram
to show any methods
you have studied that
people can use to
manage drought.
Managing
drought
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WJEC (B) GCSE Geography
Theme 2 Topic 3
Managing drought
Grow
droughtresistant
crops
Build small
rock dams
with covers
Plant trees
Managing
drought
Plant grass
strips on
the
contours of
gentle
slopes
Build stone
lines on
gentle
slopes
Collect
rainwater
using pipes
and
reservoirs
Build
terraces on
steeper
slopes
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WJEC (B) GCSE Geography
Theme 2 Topic 3
Reducing problems of drought
Use the diagram to
explain how the
different methods would
Grow
droughtresistant
crops
Build small
rock dams
with covers
Plant trees
help to reduce drought.
Managing
drought
Plant grass
strips on
the
contours of
gentle
slopes
Build stone
lines on
gentle
slopes
Collect
rainwater
using pipes
and
reservoirs
Build
terraces on
steeper
slopes
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WJEC (B) GCSE Geography
Theme 2 Topic 3
Reducing problems of drought
Grow drought-resistant
crops
so that there will be a supply of food for people and
to sell
Plant trees
so that there is an increased store of water and
increased transpiration to create rainfall. This binds
the soil together, so water can infiltrate the ground.
It also creates shade so there is less evaporation
Collect rainwater using
pipes and reservoirs
so that water doesn’t just run off into rivers — it can
be stored for use such as drinking water or watering
crops
Build terraces on
steeper/build stone lines
on gentle slopes/plant
grass strips on the
contours of gentle slopes
because this reduces surface runoff and increases
infiltration, so it builds up under ground as a store of
water that can be accessed by wells
Build small rock dams
with covers
so that water can be stored instead of running into
rivers. The cover reduces evaporation
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