How Does Overuse of Water Affect the Environment?

Water overuse occurs when water is consumed at a rate that exceeds the sustainable supply. This can happen in many different ways, such as using more water than necessary for daily activities, agriculture, industry or energy production.

Overuse of water can lead to various problems, such as depletion of groundwater reserves, which can cause wells to run dry and lead to drought conditions. It can also lead to water quality degradation, increased pollution and harm to aquatic ecosystems. Additionally, water overuse can exacerbate the effects of climate change, which can cause extreme weather events like floods and droughts.

Explore Water Overuse with an Infographic

This printable infographic and accompanying comprehension worksheet are the perfect way to help your students understand the importance of conserving water and other natural resources. The infographic contains many eye-opening facts about water overuse, such as:

• Only 3% of the world’s water is drinkable freshwater.
• Over the last century, water use has grown at more than twice the rate of the population.
• Toilets use between 6-13 litres of water for every flush.

Students will read and analyze the infographic about the overuse of water, then answer a series of questions about the topic using evidence from the text. This could be completed as a whole-class, small-group or independent activity.

Download to Explore the Overuse of Water

This resource can be downloaded in a number of different file formats. These are:

• Color PDF
• Black-and-white PDF
• Google Slides (worksheets only)

Use the dropdown menu on the Download button above to access your preferred version.

As these files contain answer pages, we recommend printing one copy of the entire file, then selecting and removing the pages you wish to photocopy for the students.

Michael Bailey, a teacher in New York and a Teach Starter collaborator, contributed to this resource.

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