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charles205 wrote:Decreasing water resources are becoming a global issue. What are the reasons? What can be done by government to prevent it ?


Every living thing on this planet including humans, animals and plants are totally dependent on water, so the decreasing levels of water resources will lead to a global issue for sure. Although there can be several reasons for this, two will be discussed in this essay along with the proposals for the government to tackle the problem.

First of all, extensive use of fertilizers in farming directly results in polluted water resources, depriving humans and animals, alike,the ability to use water safely. For example, after several patients reported kidney problems in the northern province of Sri Lanka, medical investigations were conducted and it was revealed the consumption of polluted water was the key reason behind all sorts of health issues, especially among citizens in the said geographical area. Subsequently, the government took actions to redefine the guide lines for using fertilizers, and this has produced positive results at least for the foreseeable future. Hence, in this case the governance process seems to be the best strategy for the authorities to tackle the problem.

Secondly, deforestation hampers the ecological balance by disrupting the natural water cyrcle. This is evident in many continents including Africa, America and Australia. Due to high demand for timber, forest areas are largely consumed and because of this, usual rain-fall patterns have changed, in most situations decreasing. To control this consumption behaviour, the government could carry out reforestation in proximate areas as a remedial action, as this could neutralize the negative effects.

In conclusion, out of the several reasons causing the degradation of water and related resources, extensive use of fertilizers in farming and deforestation by humans appear to be the main causes. However, the government can take preventive measures especially in setting the proper guide lines and taking corrective measures in reforestation initiatives.

allen_zhang wrote:My version:

Decreasing water resources are becoming a global issue. What are the reasons? What can be done by government to prevent it?

Unlike mineral resources and raw oil, fresh water sounds like an inexhaustible resource to humans because it is based on the endless solar power the earth absorbs from the sun. However, tragically, this is not true and the world is facing a serious problem of decreasing water supply.

The main factor that causes this problem is increasingly serious water pollution. Due to the growing world population and industrialization, more and more factories are being built to fulfill the endless demands of humans. Industrial waste and discharge inevitably pollute rivers and lakes where our potable water comes from. The problem has been made even worse in some places because of the poor environmental policies made by local governments which focus too much on economic growth and turn a blind eye to the environmental costs.

Another contributor to the shortage of water supply is the over-exploitation of underground water. As the population grows, the demand for potable water increases. This will lead to an over-use of underground water which may have an irreversible impact on the underground water system. For example, in some areas, water salinization happens because of the drop of the underground water levels. With this process started, it is hard to recover and the consequences will be devastating.

There are certainly some urgent measures that should be taken by governments to address this problem. Firstly, strict environment protection laws should be enforced to restrict industrial pollution. Only when the governments elevate the punishment for polluting will industries finally give priority to the environmental impact of their production. Anther critical initiative that can be taken by governments is to launch an awareness campaign on the water resource problem and to encourage people to save water on a daily basis.