BRIGIDINE COLLEGE
YEAR 9 SOCIAL SCIENCE
ASSIGNMENT – WATER IS LIFE
NAME ____________________
TEACHER _______________________
DATE GIVEN _____________
DATE DUE ______________________
Setting the scene
The Mekong River is a key resource for the countries of Indo-China. Over 80% of the 60 million people who live in the Lower Mekong Basin are
subsistence rice farmers, dependent on the river for irrigation and fertile soil. Over history, people have also relied upon the river and its tributaries for
household water, fisheries and wetland products, trade and transport. The great Khmer civilization based on rice farming rose and fell near the Great
Lake (Tonle Sap) at Angkor.
Even though the Mekong is one of the world’s great rivers, the people who live in its catchment today, in general, do not have access to basic services
associated with a reliable and good quality water supply. Many of the inhabitants are poor rural farmers/ fishers, amongst the poorest in the world. One
third of the population lives on less than a few dollars a day. The Mekong delta is one of the most densely populated and productive places on earth.
Today, many people feel that the building of dams could improve the standard of living in the region. However, the dams have become very
controversial. A key question facing governments in the region is how to find a balance between the need to further develop the river for irrigation,
hydropower, flood control and water supply, against the need to protect the river and its ecosystems.
China is currently constructing several dams upstream on the Mekong (called Lancang in China), without consulting its neighbours downstream in
Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam but there are also further plans for dams down the river in some of these countries. While some
experts from around the world point to the benefits of these big dams, others emphasize the problems that huge dams bring pointing to the negative
impacts of the 3 Gorges Dam in China and the Aswan High Dam in Egypt.
NOTE – THE ASSIGNMENT IS AVAILABLE ON “S DRIVE”
1
1. Collect statistics for the table below. Use these statistics to write an extended paragraph on the water situation in the Mekong Basin which
supports the statement that “poverty, a lack of a safe and reliable water supply and its effects are significant issues in the catchment”. Length
100 – 150 words approx.
2. Using your data and a ranking system, decide which country most needs help especially with water. Justify with reference to data. Eg In each
indicator category, rank the best figure 1 and the worst figure 6. If two scores are the same, rank them the same but “skip” the next number.50
words approx.
These links will assist you.
https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/ click into “select a country”
http://www.unicef.org/statistics/index_countrystats.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/country_profiles/default.stm
http://worldnews.about.com/
http://www.un.org/Pubs/CyberSchoolBus/
http://www.who.int/countries/en/
http://www.alertnet.org/
http://globalis.gvu.unu.edu/
2
COUNTRY
GDP
PER
CAPITA
OR
GNI
PER
CAPITA
ACCESS
TO
SAFE
WATER
IN
URBAN
AREAS
ACCESS
TO
SAFE
WATER
IN
RURAL
AREAS
ACCESS TO
SANITATION
IN URBAN
AREAS
ACCESS TO
SANITATION
IN RURAL
AREAS
INFANT
MORTALITY
PER 1000
(UNDER 5)
%FRESHWATER
WITHDRAWAL
FOR DOMESTIC,
INDUSTRY,
AGRICULTURE
DISASTERS
ASSOCIATED
WITH
WATER
DISEASES
ASSOCIATED
WITH
WATER
% OF
POPULATION
BELOW THE
POVERTY
LINE
RANKING
TOTAL
BURMA
CAMBODIA
CHINA
LAOS
THAILAND
VIETNAM
AVERAGE
3. Find a map which shows the location of the Mekong River catchment and its surrounding countries in Asia. Remember BOLTSS.
Insert Text boxes next to the map which will show some details of key features of the river system – Source, Mouth, Length, Tonle Sap,
Angkor Wat, The Delta.
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4. Present a photo display (a double A4) showing the role that the Mekong’s river’s waters have played in the lives of the people of the countries
of Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Your photos are to come from a range of countries. A good caption needs to be included
under each photo/ photo group which links to the theme of “resources provided by the river water.”
The themes to explore are –







Household water uses
Irrigation and farming
Fishing
Trade and transport
History – civilization eg Angkor Wat
Religion – birth, death, ritual
Ecology
These links should be a good start
www.nationalgeographic.com/.../mekong-river.html
www.pbase.com/pnd1/workplace&page=3
natureproducts.net/Ecotourism/Mekong.html
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Water_Dwelli...
www3.nationalgeographic.com/places/gallery/ca...
www.careforcambodia.org/projects.html
brownwater-navy.com/vietnam/Mekong.htm
www.mrcmekong.org/.../cc_vol13_1_Apr07.htm - “about the Mekong”
www.traveladventures.org/.../mekongdelta05.shtml
www.mongabay.com/external/dying_mekong_river.htm
www.britannica.com/eb/art-59784/Vegetable-plo...
www.newscientist.com/article/dn4819-chinese-d...
www.onasia.com/content/stories.aspx?classID=1...
www.worldwildlife.org/wildplaces/flm/species.cfm
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5. Create a table to show the benefits and problems of big dam projects such as the Aswan High Dam of Egypt and the Three Gorges Dam of
China. Group them and use bullet points.
Hints – Social (effects on people), Economic (income benefits and costs), Environmental (effects on landscape, wildlife, vegetation, historical
areas), political (effects on the government of the country or on the relationships between governments sharing the river).
Some useful sites
ASWAN HIGH DAM
www.macmillan.com.au/site/maconixexch.nsf/0/17220f94cf3c4981ca256ed30006fd88/$FILE/Ch10_sstudy.pdf
geography.about.com/od/specificplacesofinterest/a/nile.htm
sitemaker.umich.edu/sec004_gp5/the_aswan_high_dam_benefits
encyclopedia.kids.net.au/page/as/Aswan_High_Dam
www.neohumanism.org/a/as/aswan_dam.html
www.kented.org.uk/ngfl/subjects/geography/rivers/River%20Articles/theaswanhighdam.htm
www.mbarron.net/Nile/envir_nf.html
www.geography.learnontheinternet.co.uk/links-p-r.html
www.endon.staffs.sch.uk/depts/geography/Webpages/teaching_geography.htm
THREE GORGES DAM
www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article2537279.ece
www.3gorgesdam.info/
www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/1999/china.50/asian.superpower/three.gorges/
www.geographypages.co.uk/3gorges.htm
www.nytimes.com/interactive/2007/11/19/world/asia/choking_on_growth_4.html
www.worsleyschool.net/science/files/giant/dam.html
www.pbs.org/greatwall/
www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17784497
news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/06/asia_pac_three_gorges_dam/html/1.stm
www.geotimes.org/aug03/NN_dam.html
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/14/AR2007111402563.html
www.iht.com/articles/2007/11/27/asia/china.php - 63k
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5N8W0BrWBlk
5
6. Based on what you have gathered on the Mekong River catchment concerning Big Dam construction, draw a flow chart which shows what benefits and
problems could happen in the future for the Mekong River catchment.
Hints – Social (effects on people), Economic (income benefits and costs), Environmental ( effects on landscape, wildlife, vegetation, historical
areas), political (effects on the government of the country or on relations between governments sharing the river).
news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/11/0711...
www.time.com/.../article/0,9171,1657580.html
www.vnbaolut.com/deathofariver.html
www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2004/mar/25/china.conservationandendangeredspecies
www.newsmekong.org/themes/upstream-downstream
www.atimes.com/se-asia/DD10Ae04.html
ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=40048
www.panda.org/.../dams_initiative/index.cfm
www.american.edu/ted/ice/mekong-china.htm
ecologyasia.com/.../thestar_20021210_1.htm
www.telegraph.co.uk/.../2004/04/01/ixworld.html
www.mekongdescentfoundation.org/
www.mrcmekong.org/.../cc_vol13_1_Apr07.htm - click on about the Mekong
7. Do you think that the countries along the Mekong would be wise to build a huge number of dams along the Mekong? Why or why not? Compromise?
Remember to keep in mind what you discovered in Tasks 1 and 2. 100 – 150 words.
6
BRIGIDINE COLLEGE
YEAR 9 SOCIAL SCIENCE
ASSIGNMENT – WATER
NAME ____________________
TEACHER _______________________
DATE GIVEN _____________
DATE DUE ______________________
CRITERIA
A
B
C
D
E
PROCESSES
 Research –
Tasks 1, 3, 4, 5,
6
 Analysis of
statistics -Task 1
 Decision making
– Task 2
 Decision Making
- Task 7
COMMUNICATION
 Spelling,
grammar and
expression
 Bibliography
 Effectiveness of
photo display
and flow chart
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