Reading SFL – ENGLISH PREPARATORY PROGRAM

Skimming and Detailed Reading

The Water Crisis

1. Clean, fresh water is essential to life, and the earth provides abundant supplies of such water. Even
though 97 percent of the planet's water is in the ocean, there is still, in theory, enough fresh water
for every person on the planet today. Each year, approximately 110,000 billion cubic meters of water
falls to the land as rain or snow. Of this, humans use less than 10 percent for agriculture, industry,
and personal use, and most of this water is eventually returned as part of the water cycle. Since this
is the case, why is there insufficient water in areas of the world where billions of people live?
Moreover, why do many experts believe the next wars may be about water, not oil? The answer lies
not in the amount of fresh water, but in its unequal availability.

2. Three geographical factors determine water availability. First, global atmospheric conditions create
areas of high pressure and low precipitation. Next, proximity to water also influences the amount of
rain since prevailing winds bring moist air from large bodies of water to the land. The farther a
country is from large bodies of water, the drier it is. Finally, topography has an important effect on
rainfall. High mountains act as water catchers, trapping rainfall on one side of the mountains, but
leaving the other side dry in the rain shadow. In most parts of the world, all three factors influence
rainfall. In addition to these factors, periodic droughts can also dramatically reduce the water supply
within a specific region. These factors lead to some countries being water-rich while others are
water-poor.

3. Human activity also plays an important role in fresh water availability. Population growth,
urbanization, and farming can strain existing water supplies, reducing both the amount and quality of
water available. Underlying the problem of water availability is the fact that most population growth
occurs in developing countries, areas already short of water. Wells and piped water and sanitation
systems are expensive to build and to maintain. As the population continues to grow in these less
developed regions, and as more people move to urban areas, the World Bank estimates that the cost
of supplying water will be triple today's costs. The United Nations warns that two thirds of the
world's population will live in countries experiencing water shortages by 2025.

4. Water shortages have critical effects on individuals and nations because more than any other
resource, water is essential for human activity. It is used in agriculture, industry, and domestic use,
that is, for daily living. Of these uses, agriculture accounts for by far the biggest use of water.
Irrigation can quickly turn dry dirt into farmland, but it is costly in terms of water. It takes 634 gallons
of water to produce a hamburger, 37 gallons for a cup of coffee, 650 gallons for a pound of rice, and
265 gallons for a glass of milk. The statistics highlight the hidden costs of food production. The
environmental effect of agriculture is also significant. Farming depends on the use of fertilizers and
pesticides. However, irrigation causes runoff of these chemicals, thereby contaminating local supplies
of drinking water, and exacerbating water shortages. In the last 50 years, the use of fertilizers has
more than tripled in the United States, and as demand for food increases with population growth,
the increased use of fertilizers is likely to continue.

5. With such reliance on water, it is not surprising that many regions worldwide face serious water
shortages, including in both developed and developing nations. However, it is in developing nations
where water shortage is critical. According to the United Nations, half of all people in developing
countries have no access to clean water. In rural areas of these countries, women walk as many as 4

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hours a day to collect water. In urban areas, water may be more easily available, but at a price.
Because water is not piped into slum areas, people there have to buy water in containers. They often
have to pay 5 to 10 times more per gallon than other people living in the same city because those
people have access to piped water. This combination of poverty and lack of fresh water is deadly,
causing high mortality rates, particularly for children. Each year, 5 times as many children die from
water-borne illnesses than from HIV / AIDS.

6. This human crisis is also an economic crisis. The United Nations estimates that lack of access to
clean water and sanitation costs developing nations a staggering 170 billion U.S. dollars a year. This
estimate was determined by looking at the cost of health care from treating water-borne illnesses,
and the time lost through walking long distances to collect water. For example, it is estimated that in
Sub-Saharan Africa, women spend 40 billion hours per year collecting water. This is equivalent to the
total of all the hours worked by the French workforce.

7. Solutions to the water crisis can be classified into two broad approaches: high impact and low
impact. High-impact solutions include damming, altering the natural course of rivers for irrigation,
and desalination which is a process of converting seawater to fresh water. Countries across the globe
are using these approaches, even though they come at an economic, human, and environmental
cost. The Aswan High Dam in Egypt was built to irrigate thousands of acres of farmland. The Colorado
River was dammed to provide water to California. China is investing $62 billion to pipe water from
the Yangtze River to its dry cities and farmlands in the north. The desert-dry country of Saudi Arabia
relies on the technology of desalination. More than 120 desalination plants in the Persian Gulf Region
provide much of the water to North Africa and Middle Eastern countries.

8. Unlike high-impact solutions, low-impact solutions are usually on a local scale and are more
ecologically sensitive. The emphasis tends to be on improving the efficiency of water use rather than
seeking new supplies. For example, some cities in water-scarce areas in the United States subsidize
the use of sanitation systems, which require less water and recycle more. Another important
emphasis is the increased understanding of the role of wetlands in water management. These
important ecological areas naturally filter and clean runoff water, allowing this water to return to
rivers and reenter the water cycle. The Nakivubo Swamp in Uganda's Kampala district is a good
example of this process. For years, this extensive wetland has received contaminated water from
surrounding settlements, which lack proper sanitation. The wetland naturally purifies this water,
returning it to Lake Victoria, where local people can use it more safely for their drinking water.

9. The solution to the global water crisis is the responsibility of all nations. In 2010, the United
Nations passed a resolution that recognized clean drinking water and adequate sanitation as a basic
human right. While this resolution has no enforcement power, it does clearly illustrate the fact that
many countries understand water is not just a valuable resource; it is also essential to human life.

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A. Match the main ideas below to five of the paragraphs in the reading. Write the number of the
paragraph on the blank line (7 mins).

_____ A Low-impact solutions improving water efficiency and having minimal effect on the
environment

_____ B Pressure caused by high population growth in water-poor areas

_____ C The fact that the water crisis is also an economic crisis

_____ D Dams, altered river courses, and desalination plants as examples of high-impact solutions

_____ E Agriculture accounting for the largest use of water

B. Answer the detailed questions about the reading.

1. Write two geographical factors that the writer identifies as determining water availability.
a.
b.

2. Why does the writer include statistics about how much water it takes to produce common food
and drink items?
a. These agricultural products illustrate the importance of agriculture.
b. The examples illustrate that the production of everyday food and drink items requires an
enormous amount of water.
c. These products alone use over 70 percent of the freshwater supply.
d. These food and drink items demonstrate the ability of water to transform arid land into
productive farmland.
3. Name two global regions that have an adequate supply of water.
a.
b.

4. Which of the following is not given as an effect of lack of water in developing countries?
a. Women need to spend hours each day collecting water.
b. The population is growing faster there than in developed countries.
c. The World Bank estimates that the cost of supplying water will triple in these areas.
d. The poorest residents are forced to pay the most for water.
5. Although building dams is expensive, this ecologically sensitive practice increases the supply of
freshwater to many people. True / False

6. Why does the writer use the example of the Nakivubo Swamp in Uganda?
a. It illustrates the important connection between the natural environment and water
management.
b. It demonstrates how water availability can be efficiently and inexpensively improved.
c. The wetlands are an example of how easily humans can contaminate natural water supplies.
d. It shows how humans can create new environments, which naturally purify water.

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 Answer Key

A. Match the main ideas below to five of the paragraphs in the reading. Write the number of the
paragraph on the blank line (7 mins).

__8___ A Low-impact solutions improving water efficiency and having minimal effect on the
environment

__3___ B Pressure caused by high population growth in water-poor areas

__6___ C The fact that the water crisis is also an economic crisis

__7___ D Dams, altered river courses, and desalination plants as examples of high-impact solutions

__4___ E Agriculture accounting for the largest use of water

B. Answer the detailed questions about the reading.

1. Name two geographical factors that the writer identifies as determining water availability.
Two of the following: distance from large bodies of water / periodic droughts / mountains

2. Why does the writer include statistics about how much water it takes to produce common food
and drink items?
a. These agricultural products illustrate the importance of agriculture.
b. The examples illustrate that the production of everyday food and drink items requires an
enormous amount of water.
c. These products alone use over 70 percent of the freshwater supply.
d. These food and drink items demonstrate the ability of water to transform arid land into
productive farmland.
3. Name two global regions that have an adequate supply of water.
a. South America
b. Australia

4. Which of the following is not given as an effect of lack of water in developing countries?
a. Women need to spend hours each day collecting water.
b. The population is growing faster there than in developed countries.
c. The World Bank estimates that the cost of supplying water will triple in these areas.
d. The poorest residents are forced to pay the most for water.
5. Although building dams is expensive, this ecologically sensitive practice increases the supply of
freshwater to many people. True / False

6. Why does the writer use the example of the Nakivubo Swamp in Uganda?
a. It illustrates the important connection between the natural environment and water
management.

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b. It demonstrates how water availability can be efficiently and inexpensively improved.
c. The wetlands are an example of how easily humans can contaminate natural water supplies.
d. It shows how humans can create new environments, which naturally purify water.