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Student Activity - Water issues
Activity idea
In this activity, students investigate the issues surrounding water in their local area and relate this knowledge to water issues in other countries.
Instructions
Local water issues
Working in groups of four, each member of the group will investigate one of the following questions. (All students studying the same question could work together or in small groups.)
- What is your local source of water (for example, reservoir, rain, bore etc)? (In rural areas, different students may get their water from different sources.)
- What issues affect the catchment area (for example, farming, factories, residential)?
- What treatment does your local council use for your water?
- What could be done in your local area to improve your water quality?
Depending on your local council, information may be easily accessible on the council website, or you may have to contact the council or councillors.
Once you have researched your question, return to your original group and report on what you have found out.
World water issues
Working in two groups, half the class will study water issues affecting a third world country (Papua New Guinea), and the other half will study water issues affecting a first world country (Australia).
These two countries are neighbours, yet they have completely different problems with obtaining sufficient clean drinking water. Use the websites below for your research and present the information to the rest of the class.
Papua New Guinea
This site is a slideshow from the world bank with sanitation facts from around the world.
http://digitalmedia.worldbank.org/slideshow/?slideshow_id=262
This site has a world map showing who has access to clean water.
http://www.worldbank.org/depweb/.../environm/water/map1.html
This is a first-hand account from a water engineer in Papua New Guinea about the community involvement in constructing water tanks to provide clean water for remote villages.
http://www.oxfam.org.nz/
Questions
- What problem does the third world have with its water?
- How are these problems being addressed?
- How much of the world is affected by the same issues?
- Do you think this problem is going to improve or get worse? Why?
- Does your local area have the same issues? Why/why not?
Australia
This site has some good information about desalination and the reasons for its use.
http://www.awa.asn.au/Content/.../Desalination/default.htm
This site has an audio clip about the water resource problem in Perth.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11134967
Questions
- What is desalination?
- Why does Australia want to use this technology?
- What are some of the drawbacks of desalination?
- Do you think this problem is going to improve or get worse? Why?
- Does your local area have the same issues? Why/why not?
