Formative #9 Southwest Asia's Environmental Issues

According to the chart, which country would be MOST likely to face a water crisis?

• Jordan
• Lebanon
• Syria
• Turkey

Many of the largest cities in Southwest Asia are located on or near....

• Rivers
• Deserts
• Coastal Regions
• Both Rivers and Coastal Regions

According to the chart, which country would be MOST likely to export water?

• Jordan
• Lepanon
• Syria
• Turkey

What is the most common physical feature in the Middle East?

• rivers
• forests
• deserts
• savannas

How has Saudi Arabia and other oil wealthy nations in the Middle East addressed their water crisis?

• importing water
• removing dams on rivers
• desalination
• draining underground aquifers

The Jordan River Basin is shared by five different nations: Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Palestine, and Israel. It has been estimated that Israel is consuming up to four times the amount used by the other nations. Based on the statement above, what would be the MOST LIKELY topic of discussion among leaders of these nations?

• Reaching an agreement that guarantees fair access to the limited water supply
• The construction of pipelines to divert water into other areas of the region
• Developing guidelines to prevent pollution and contamination of the water
• Creation of desalination plants to produce more fresh water

Countries that border the Persian Gulf such as Kuwait have very limited freshwater supplies. Many are forced to search for water from other sources such as...

• refining petroleum oil into the drinking water
• desalination of saltwater from the Persian Gulf
• importing water using the same ships that transport oil
• pumping water from the Black Sea through an overload pipeline

How has the building of dams created problems for countries sharing rivers in SW Asia?

• Dams are too expensive to build to be practical
• Few countries have the technology needed to be able to build dams
• Countries in the Middle East are not allowed to build dams along rivers
• Dams limit the water available to countries further downstream

Why is desalination not more widely used in the Middle East?

• Most countries don't know about this technology
• It is very expensive for countries to use
• Desalination is not effective
• Most countries have enough fresh water

Which statement is true about the status of the water supply in the Middle East?

• The Middle East has no fresh water supplies.
• The Middle East has an abundant supply of fresh water.
• The Middle East has a very limited supply of fresh water.
• The Middle Eastern countries don't think freshwater supplies are important because the all rely on desalination.