Water insecurity case study

Question (8 marks): With reference to a named area, examine the causes and consequences of water insecurity.

Mark scheme (levels):

• L1 (1–2): generic statements about water shortage.
• L2 (3–5): named area with some causes/consequences.
• L3 (6–8): integrated explanation with statistics, multiple causes, and tiered consequences (social/economic/environmental).

Indicative content — Lake Chad:

• Causes: 90% surface area loss since 1963 (UNEP); rainfall down 25% (1970–2000); over-abstraction for irrigation; population in basin grew from 13 m to 50 m.
• Consequences: 10.7 m people in humanitarian need (UN OCHA 2023); collapse of fishing economy (Chari-Logone fisheries lost 60%); Boko Haram exploits resource conflict; environmental refugee flows toward N'Djamena.