Problems with Water Reading Answers

Dec 27, 2022

Problems with Water Reading Answers has 14 questions that need to be answered in 20 minutes. Problems with Water Reading Answers are about problems related with water. Problems with Water Reading Answers comprises two types of questions- match the views listed with people and write true/false/not given. Candidates are required to match the views given in the IELTS reading passage with the people. Candidates are required to decide whether the given statement is true, false or not given based on the IELTS Reading passage. To complete the summary, candidates are required to choose one word for each answer from the passage. Undertaking IELTS Reading practice papers can help candidates practise and prepare on different topics.

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Section 1

Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions

Problems with Water Reading Answers

Nearly half the world’s population will experience critical water shortages by 2025, according to the United Nations (UN). Wars over access to water are a rising possibility in this century and the main conflicts in Africa during the next 25 years could be over this most precious commodities, as countries fight for access to scarce resources. “Potential water wars are likely in areas where rivers and lakes are shared by more than one country,” says Mark Evans a UN worker. Evans predicts that “population growth and economic development will lead to nearly one in two people in Africa living in countries facing water scarcity or what is known as ‘water stress’ within 25 years.” Water scarcity is defined as less than 1,000 cubic meters of water available per person per year, while water stress means less than 1,500 cubic meters of water is available per person per year. The report says that by 2025, 12 more African countries will join the 13 that already suffer from water stress or water scarcity. What makes the water issue even more urgent is that demand for water will grow increasingly fast as larger areas are placed under crops and economic development. Evans adds that “the strong possibility that the world is experiencing climate change also adds to this urgency.”
How to deal with water shortages is in the forefront of the battle between environment activists on the one hand and governments and construction firon the other. At the recent World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg activists continued their campaign to halt dam construction, while many governments were outraged about a vocal minority thwarting their plans.One of the UN’s eight millennium development goals is to halve the proportion of people without “sustainable” access to safe drinking water by 2015. How to ensure this happens was one of the big issues of the summit. Much of the text on this was already agreed, but one of the unresolved issues in the implementation plan was whether the goal on water would be extended to cover sanitation. The risks posed by water-borne diseases in the absence of sanitation facilities means the two goals are closely related. Only US negotiators have been resisting the extension of goals to include sanitation due to the financial commitment this would entail. However, Evans says the US is about to agree to this extension. This agreement could give the UN a chance to show that in one key area the world development agenda was advanced in Johannesburg. But the UN has said Johannesburg was not about words alone, but implementation.
A number of projects and funding initiatives were unveiled at the summit. But implementation is always harder, as South Africa has experienced in its water programme. Graham Bennetts, a water official in the South African government explains: “Since the 1994 elections the government has provided easy access to water to 7 million people, but extending this to a further 7 million and ensuring this progress is sustainable is one of South Africa’s foremost implementation challenges.” In South Africa, access to water is defined as 25 liters a person daily, within a distance of 200m from where they live. “Although South Africa’s feat far exceeds the UN millennium goal on water supply, severe constraints on local government capacity make a more rapid expansion difficult,” says Bennetts.For some of those who have only recently been given ready access to water, their gains are under threat as the number of cut-offs by municipalities for non-payment rise, says Liane Greef of the Environmental Monitoring Group. Greef is programme manager for Water Justice in southern Africa. Those who have their water supply cut off also automatically forfeit their right to 6000 free liters of water for a family a month under South Africa’s “water for all” policy. In the face of continued increases in unemployment, payment for water and other utilities has the potential to quickly undo the government's high profile feats in delivery since 1994.
It is also the way of ensuring sufficient water supply and its management that will increasingly become a political battleground in South Africa. Water Affairs director-general Mike Muller says South Africa is near the end of its dam-building programme. However,there are big projects proposed elsewhere in southern Africa that could possibly be halted by activists who could bring pressure on funding agencies such as the World Bank. Greef says her group will campaign during the summit against the proposed Skuifraam Dam, which would be built near Franschhoek to supply additional water to Cape Town.Rather than rely on new dam construction, the city should ensure that water is used wisely at all times rather than only in dry spells, Greef says.
Another battleground for her group is over the privatization of water supply, she says. Water supply, she insists, is best handled in the public interest by an accountable government.There is increasing hope from advances in technology to deal with water shortages. It is agricultural production which takes up about 90% of water consumed for human purposes, says the UN. To lower agricultural demand for water the Sri Lanka-based International Water Management Institute is researching ways of obtaining “more crop per drop” through the development of drought resistant crops, as well as through better water management techniques.
One of the institute’s research sites is the Limpopo River basin. According to the institute’s director-general, Frank Rijsbereman, rice growers in China use a quarter of the water a ton of produce to those in South Africa. The institute hopes the “green revolution” in crop productivity will soon be matched by the “blue revolution” in improving water utilization in agriculture.

Section 2

Solution with Explanation
Questions 14-21:
Match the views 25-32 with the people listed below

MM Mike Muller
FR Frank Rijsberman
ME Mark Evans
LG Laine Greef
GB Graham Bennetts

Question 14: Water needs to be utilized more prudently by some people

Answer: LG Laine Greef
Supporting Sentence: Rather than rely on new dam construction, the city should ensure that water is used wisely at all times rather than only in dry spells, Greef says
Keywords: water, utilized, people
Keywords Location: 7th paragraph
Explanation: Greef suggested that the city ensure that water is used wisely all of the time, not just during dry spells. Rather than relying on the construction of new dams. Laine Greef is the correct answer.

Question 15: South Africa has almost completed its plans for building dams

Answer: MM Mike Muller
Supporting Sentence: Water Affairs director-general Mike Muller says South Africa is near the end of its dam-building programme.
Keywords: South Africa, completed, plans, building, dams
Keywords Location: 6th paragraph
Explanation: According to Mike Muller, the dam-building initiative in South Africa is nearing its end, indicating that the project is virtually finished. So, the right answer is Mike Muller

Question 16: Local government has excluded some South African households from getting free water for not meeting their bills

Answer: LG Laine Greef
Supporting Sentence: For some of those who have only recently been given ready access to water, their gains are under threat as the number of cut-offs by municipalities for non-payment rise, says Laine Greef of the environmental monitoring group.
Keywords: Local government, excluded, South African, households, free, water, meeting, bills
Keywords Location: 5th paragraph
Explanation: Some South African families have been denied access to free water as a result of the increase in the frequency of municipal cutoffs for non-payment. Laine Greef is the appropriate answer.

Question 17: The world summit in Johannesburg will soon have its aims on hygiene agreed among all participants.

Answer: ME Mark Evans
Supporting Sentence: However, Evan says the US is about to agree this extension
Keywords: world summit, Johannesburg, aims, hygiene, agreed, participants
Keywords Location: 3rd paragraph
Explanation: Evan predicted that the goals for hygiene would soon be accepted by all attendees of the World Summit in Johannesburg. Therefore, Mark Evans is the right answer.

Question 18: Faster development of water supply in South Africa is limited by the facilities of community administrations

Answer: GB Graham Bennetts
Supporting Sentence: “Although South Africa’s feat far exceeds the UN millennium goal on water supply, severe constraints on local government capacity make a more rapid expansion difficult,” says Bennetts.
Keywords: Faster, development, water, supply, South Africa, limited, facilities, community, administrations
Keywords Location: 4th paragraph
Explanation: The rapid expansion of the water supply was hampered by severe capacity limitations in the local government. As a result, Graham Bennetts is the correct answer.

Question 19: Water use is more efficient than in South Africa in some foreign food production

Answer: FR Frank Rijsbereman
Supporting Sentence: According to the institute’s director-general, Frank Rijsbereman, rice growers in China use a quarter of the water a ton of produce to those in South Africa.
Keywords: water, efficient, South Africa, some, foreign, production
Keywords Location: Last paragraph
Explanation: Chinese rice farmers use only one-fourth the amount of water per tonne of yield as South African rice farmers do. It implies that certain foreign food production uses water more effectively than it does in South Africa. Thus, Frank Rijsbereman is the adequate answer.

Question 20: Government should be answerable for water deliveries and not private companies

Answer: LG Laine Greef
Supporting Sentence: Water supply, she insists, is best handled in the public interest by an accountable government.
Keywords: Government, answerable, water, deliveries, private, companies
Keywords Location: 7th paragraph
Explanation: According to Laine Greef, a responsible government is the best suited to manage water supply in the public interest. As a result, Laine Greef is the correct answer.

Question 21: The water question’s importance has been increased due to the risk of global weather temperature rises.

Answer: ME Mark Evans
Supporting Sentence: Evans adds that “the strong possibility that the world is experiencing climate change also adds to this urgency.”
Keywords: water, importance, increased, risk, global, weather, temperature
Keywords Location: First paragraph
Explanation: Mark Evans asserts that there is a good chance of climate change, which increases the need for water. Therefore, Mark Evans is the right answer.

Question 22-27:
Read the passage about problems with water again and look at the statements below.
In boxes 22 – 27 on your answer sheet write:

TRUE if the statement is true
FALSE if the statement is false
NOT GIVEN if the information is not given in the passage

Question 22: Some African countries are currently at war over water resources.

Answer: : NOT GIVEN
Explanation: The passage does not provide any details that are relevant to the question.

Question 23: A recent report says by 2025 that 25 African countries will suffer from water scarcity alone.

Answer: : FALSE

Supporting Sentence: Nearly half the world’s population will experience critical water shortages by 2025, according to the United Nations (UN).
Keywords: recent, report, African, countries, suffer water, scarcity
Keywords Location: First paragraph
Explanation: Instead of 25 African countries, it is claimed that nearly half of the world's population will face severe water shortages in the future. Thus, the correct answer is false.

Question 24: Vocal environment activists were arrested at the World Summit.

Answer: NOT GIVEN
Explanation The passage does not provide any details that are relevant to the question.

Question 25: Questions at the World Summit over including water sanitation have not yet been agreed.

Answer: : TRUE
Supporting Sentence: Only US negotiators have been resisting the extension of goals to include sanitation due to the financial commitment this would entail.
Keywords: Questions, World Summit, water, sanitation, agreed
Keywords Location: 2nd paragraph
Explanation: As per the passage, US negotiators have not yet consented to the goal-extension to include sanitation because of the financial commitment this would require. As a result, the right answer is true.

Question 26: The World Summit had many good ideas but had little contribution on how to put the ideas into practice.

Answer: FALSE
Supporting Sentence: A number of projects and funding initiatives were unveiled at the summit. But implementation is always harder, as South Africa has experienced in its water programme.
Keywords: World Summit, good, ideas, little, contribution, ideas, practice
Keywords Location: 4th paragraph
Explanation: Initiations for funding and a number of projects were presented at the summit. But as South Africa has learned with its water programme, actualizing plans is almost always more challenging. As a result, the answer is false.

Question 27: Plants are being introduced that can flourish with little water.

Answer: TRUE
Supporting Sentence: To lower agricultural demand for water the Sri Lanka-based International Water Management Institute is researching ways of obtaining “more crop per drop” through the development of drought-resistant crops, as well as through better water management techniques
Keywords: plants, introduced, flourish, little, water
Keywords Location: Last paragraph
Explanation: As per the passage, the International Water Management Institute in Sri Lanka is looking on ways to grow "more produce per drop" . It is doing so by creating drought-resistant plants. It needs very little water to thrive. Thus, the answer is true.

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