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IELTS Reading Passage – Making Every Drop Count
Making Every Drop Count
The history of human civilization, right from the golden age, evolved parallel to the history of the ways we learnt to handle water and its resources across the globe. As urban areas expanded slowly and steadily, water resources were taken rapidly from remote sources, amounting to luxury engineering impacts like aqueducts, dams, and so on. During the Roman Empire’s era, nine major systems had a drastic change with the help of a sophisticated idea of sewers, pipelines, etc. Such engineering advancements by the Roman occupants provided as much water per individual person as it has been in many industrial areas today.
It was evident that the water resources demand rose exponentially due to the industrial revolution and population growth in the 19th and 20th centuries. Moreover, enormous monuments and other tens and thousands of engineering projects were built, incorporating flood control systems, clean water supply, irrigation and hydropower projects that brought happiness to millions of human lives. There was also a food supply growing to compensate for the soaring population due to the spread of artificial irrigation systems that ensure a potential growth of 40% of the world’s food. Almost one-fifth of the current electricity produced across the world is generated using big turbines spun by the power of a tsunami.
However, there is a negative face to this picture. Besides our reach, nearly 50 percent of the world’s human population still faces hurdles, with water resources lesser than those had by the ancient Greeks and Romans. According to the United Nations (UN) report on access to water reemphasized in the month of November 2001, above one billion people are deprived of clean drinking water, and almost two and a half billion people do not have access to necessary sanitation facilities. Avoidable diseases pertaining to water kill an estimated 11,000 to 22,000 children every day, and recent proof reveals that we need to speed up the process of solving problems before it is too late.
The repercussions of our water policy framework extend not just jeopardising human health but also the mere existence. Millions of people coerced to shift from their homes permanently- with some warning or temporary relief – to give space for the reservoirs behind water dams. 20 percent and above of all freshwater fish species are now under serious threat or endangered mainly due to dams and water reservoirs withdrawals have stopped the natural-flow of river water where they live and survive. It eventually destroyed the entire ecosystem. There are some best irrigation methods that lead to soil degradation and deteriorated production of agriculture. Apart from that, groundwater aquifers (underground water stored) are used faster than they are naturally refilled in different parts of China, India, the US and elsewhere. And problems related to shared water resources have caused unnecessary troubles and persist to cause local, national, and international disturbances.
In the beginning of the new millennium, the way policy makers plan for water resources is beginning to take a twist. Their aim is to gradually move towards the basic human and environmental needs as the highest priority. It is to ensure ‘some for all’, rather than ‘more for some’. A few environmentalists and water experts suggest that existing infrastructure facilities could be utilised in an efficient way instead of constructing new buildings. However, it has been taken into consideration. This philosophical change is not universal yet, as it’s strongly opposed by certain organisations, who closely work for water security. In spite of that, it could be the ideal way to correctly tackle the overwhelming problem of serving everyone with clean water. It is to drink, grow food and a society free from water-borne diseases.
Fortunately – and without anticipating – the water demand is not increasing as rapidly as some estimated. Because of that, the intense pressure to construct many water infrastructures has been destroyed for more than two decades from now. Even though the human population, industries and economic development seemed to fly high in developed countries, the frequency at which the public does not consume water from aquifers, rivers and lakes has decreased. Moreover, in a few parts of the world, the demand for water has seriously dipped to some extent.
How do these remarkable events take place? Well! There are two major factors involved: people have noticed how efficiently water can be used, similarly communities at large started thinking about their priorities on usage of water. Right from the 20th century, on an average, the amount of freshwater consumption per individual has doubled; in the US, the withdrawal of water increased ten times higher, while the population increased four times higher. However, if we look from 1980, the amount of water consumption has decreased per individual, it’s all because of new inventions and technologies that support the preservation of water at homes and industries. For example, in 1965, Japan consumed exactly 13 million gallons (1 gallon equals to 4.546 litres) of water for the purpose of $1 million of commercial output; by 1989, this amount of consumption had decreased drastically to 3.5 million gallons (even taking inflation into account) – almost four times higher of water productivity. Meanwhile, in the USA, water withdrawals were at its peak in 1980, but it has fallen by more than 20 percent.
Nevertheless, aqueducts, water dams and other forms of infrastructure need to be built, especially in emerging countries where the basic human needs did not come into place. However, those infrastructure projects must be constructed with more specifications, more accountability to local people and their environment than in the past. Moreover, in areas where new projects receive warranty, we should still discover new ways to meet demands with limited available resources without compromising ecological criteria. All these things need to be done with a smaller budget.
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Renewable Energy IELTS Reading Question with Answer
Making Every Drop Count Reading Questions
Questions 1 – 5
Choose the correct letter, a, b, c, or d. 1. 1 gallon is equal to
- 4.555 litres
- 4.565 litres
- 4.547 litres
- 4.546 litres
2. During the Roman empire, nine major systems had a big change due to?
- Idea of sewers, pipelines
- Water management system
- Sophisticated infrastructure facilities
- Dams, reservoirs
3. In the USA, water withdrawals had fallen by more than?
- 23 percent
- 21 percent
- 20 percent
- 50 percent
4. In emerging countries, what forms of infrastructure need to be built?
- Water dams
- Aqueducts
- Both a and b
- None of the above
5. The irrigation system leads to
- Water pollution
- Soil degradation
- Tsunami
- All of the above
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Questions 6 – 1
Complete the summary below.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage for each answer.
6. ___________ and above of all freshwater fish species are now under serious threat or 7. _____________ mainly due to dams and water reservoirs withdrawals have stopped the natural-flow of river water where they live and survive. It eventually destroyed the 8. ____________. There are some best irrigation methods that lead to soil degradation and deteriorated production of 9. __________. Apart from that, groundwater aquifers (underground water stored) are used faster than they are naturally refilled in different parts of China, India, 10. __________ and elsewhere.
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Questions 11 – 13
Answer the questions below.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage for each answer.
11. For how many years has the intense pressure to build water infrastructure been destroyed?
12. Millions of people were forced to move from their homes permanently with what?
13. During which centuries did the water resources demand rise exponentially due to the industrial revolution?
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Recommended Questions:
Renewable Energy IELTS Reading Question with Answer
Making Every Drop Count Reading Answers
1. d. 4.546 litres
2. a. Idea of sewers, pipelines
3. c. 20 percent
4. c. Both a and b
5. b. Soil degradation
6. 20 percent
7. endangered
8. Entire ecosystem
9. Agriculture
10. The US
11. two decades
12. temporary relief
13. 19th & 20th centuries
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