Topic 1: Increasing travels between countries enable people to learn different cultures or to increase tension between people from different countries

Topic 57: Water resources around the world are falling deficient. Analyse the possible reasons and provide your suggestions.

Access to water is vital to every living creature on the planet. Despite the fact that approximately two thirds of the earth surface is covered with all forms of water bodies, countries worldwide are faced with different levels of water shortages. Some reasons can be cited to explain the emergence of this problem.

A trigger for a water crisis is people's lack of knowledge of the value of water. Given the ready availability of water in many countries, people tend to believe that the reserve of water in the world is infinite. Notwithstanding the increased expenditure on water supply, water is perceived as a cheap commodity by many families. Many people see water as a perpetual resource. For this reason, the unbridled use of water is commonplace, accelerating the exhaustion of this valuable resource.

Rapid population growth is another force contributing to the water crisis. Not only does it reduce the amount of water available for manufacture, farming and households, but also has a profound effect on the sustainability of aquatic ecosystems. Massive urban and industrial growth fuels unprecedented demands, often at the expense of aquatic ecosystems. Many water resources are not replenished before being re-used and depleted.

Human-induced pollution is worthy of concern as well, a factor regarded by many as the root cause of the rapid loss of drinkable water. The untreated discharge of various pollutants such as heavy metals, organic toxins, oils and solids in water bodies is believed to have severe impacts. Industrialisation, meanwhile, results in abnormal climate and biological destruction. While some areas have become barren, other areas are hit by floods. Floods ravage everything, including reservoirs, dams and cannels. The water supply problem will intensify.

As noted above, the steady loss of water is attributable to inappropriate usage, population growth and pollution. In order to tackle the above-mentioned problems, one can adopt various approaches, besides the existing strategies, such as restoration of ecosystems, rainwater harvest. New technologies can help ease water shortages, by tackling pollution and making used water recyclable. In agriculture, water use can be made far more efficient by introducing new farming techniques (e.g., drip irrigation). Drought-resistant plants can help cut the amount of water needed.

1. 
   vital = crucial = essential = central = critical
   
2. 
   perpetual = eternal = everlasting
   
3. 
   unbridled = unchecked = uncontrolled = uninhibited
   
4. 
   aquatic = water-related
   
5. 
   replenish = refill
   
6. 
   deplete = reduce = exhaust = use up = drain
   
7. 
   toxin = contaminant = pollutant = poison = noxious waste
   
8. 
   abnormal = non-standard = unusual
   
9. 
   barren = arid = unproductive = infertile = dry = waterless
   
10. 
    ravage = ruin = damage