Water, as one of the most important natural resources, is facing serious scarcity¹. A recent survey conducted by Greenpeace revealed that over two thirds of the nations in the world were afflicted with severe water shortage. Hence, it is essential that we ascertain² the causes of this phenomenon and identify the effective solutions.

A number of factors could account for the problem, but the following might be the critical ones. First of all, it is generally arguable that the population explosion is the root cause of the crisis. To illustrate³, over the past half a century, the world population has more than doubled and this growth rate shows no sign of slowing down. Therefore, household and industrial use of water has been shooting up since the end of World War II. Further, water resource is polluted by the industrial wastes produced by factories and companies. For instance, currently, a vast number of factories dump their wastes into rivers and lakes, which seriously undermines the world’s eco-system. Finally, the shortage of fresh water can also be attributed to the lower effi ciency in water utilization⁴. Some developing countries still use the primitive⁵ irrigation system, which is believed to waste at least 70% fresh water. In most cities in China, fresh water is used to flush lavatories⁶.

Moreover, most citizens use a wash-machine, which consumes a larger volume of fresh water. In view of the seriousness of the problem, effective measures must be taken before things get worse. Firstly, it is essential that laws and regulations be worked out and enforced to protect water resource. Secondly⁷, national infrastructure⁸ has to be improved. For example, new dams should be built and new technology should be invented to save water scientifi cally. Thirdly, man must do his utmost to fi nd alternative sources of fresh water. Research has proved that we can transform seawater into drinking water with the help of modern technology. Last but not the least, governments in all countries should give priority to6 the controlling of the staggering increase of thepopulation. It is necessary that other nations learn from China’s success in curbing⁹ its population surge over the past three decades.

Above all, we should not forget the importance of water or waste it unnecessarily. Any kind of drought is always a reminder¹⁰ that we should never take our water for granted and that every drop counts. Therefore, we should take effective steps, including birth control, promotion¹¹ of sustainable development, and research about new water resource, to alleviate¹² this modern-day scourge¹³ .