Water use in my country

 1) Write a 50 word response to the documentary that we watched in class on Wednesday. Were you shocked? How did it make you feel? Do you agree with what is being done. (5 marks)

2) Look up a water issue in your country. Some of the things that you may come across include: 

Privatization of water, water scarcity (not enough), Water pollution, Water exports, salinization (salt water in drinking water). Explain what is happening and why it is an issue. If you cannot find anything you can look at Issues currently facing the state of California. (10 marks)

*Remember pictures/diagrams etc are ALWAYS useful in Geography

Indonesia's rivers are filled with domestic waste. Domestic waste is any nonperishable waste. For instance paper, cardboard, yard clipping and wood are items which fit into the category of domestic waste. According to Water Environment Partnership in Asia (WEPA), only 42 percent from 51,372,661 houses in Indonesia have domestic waste treatment. More than half of households dispose their domestic waste directly to the river body. Data from the Word Bank shows that in 2008, only 52% of Indonesian population has an adequate access to excreta disposal facilities. Such facilities are important as they can help to minimize human, animal, and insect contact with excreta, thereby increasing the hygiene level and enhancing the living conditions for the slum-dwellers. Without proper construction and maintenance of these facilities, domestic wastes are disposed ineffectively and increase the rate of water resources degradation. The dumping of domestic waste in rivers is a growing concern in Indonesia. The rivers are being clogged with toxic chemicals which are not only bad for the animals but as well the people. 

California's  interconnected water system  serves over 30 million people and irrigates over 5,680,000 acres (2,300,000 ha) of farmland. As the world’s largest, most productive, and most controversial water system, it manages over 40,000,000 acre feet of water per year.

Water and water rights  are among the state's divisive political issues. Water is limited in the most populous U.S. state California. California’s limited water supply comes from two main sources! Its eaither surface water, or water that travels or gathers on the ground, like rivers, streams, and lakes and ground water, which is water that is pumped out from the ground in Sacramento. Before the severe drought started, in 2012, residents were using 217 US gallons of water a day per-capita. Many homes in Sacramento didn't have water meters until recently. They now are gradually being installed after Schwarzenegger signed a 2004 law mandating meters statewide by 2025.

After Folsom, a city of 72,000 east of Sacramento, installed meters in 2011 and adopted tiered rates that charge more for people who consume the most water. The city of Los Angeles bought 300,000 acres of land from residents of the Owens Valley and the water rights attached with them, for a fair price. The diverting of this water from the valley, it is alleged, transformed it from an agricultural valley into a dust bowl.