Pre-reading questions:
- How many glasses of water do you drink in a day?
- Do you know ways on how to conserve water? Please cite them and explain each.
Vocabulary:
- crisis /KRAHY-sis/
- shortage /SHAWR-tij/
- widespread /WAHYD-spred/
- estimate /ES-tuh-meyt/
- intensify /in-TEN-suh-fahy/
[noun] a situation that is extremely difficult
The country’s citizens blame the government for the economic crisis.
[noun] a situation when there is not enough of something
There’s a shortage of chairs and school equipment in public schools.
[adjective] affecting or including a lot of places, people, etc.
The newest development on computer gaming was received with widespread interest.
[verb] to guess the cost, size, value, etc. of something
We need to estimate how much money would be needed for the trip on Monday.
[verb] to become greater or more serious
After twenty four hours, the search for earthquake survivors intensified.
India is experiencing a water crisis. The city of Shimla in India was hit by a rare case of water shortage during the hot season. Schools were shut, public toilets were padlocked, and most of the city’s activities were stopped. Due to the large number of people visiting and arriving in Shimla, illegal hotels were widespread in the city. The estimated 25,000 illegally built hotels caused the 70% loss of Shimla’s water sources.
Government officials of Shimla said that the crisis was intensified by the masses. According to Jai Ram Thakur, the chief minister of Shimla, the situation was back to normal after four to five days. However, people living in the city disagree. Families in Shimla and smaller cities in India depend on water trucks and government aid for their daily water supply.
Government officials of Shimla said that the crisis was intensified by the masses. According to Jai Ram Thakur, the chief minister of Shimla, the situation was back to normal after four to five days. However, people living in the city disagree. Families in Shimla and smaller cities in India depend on water trucks and government aid for their daily water supply.
Comprehension Questions:
- Who provides water to Shimla and other cities in India?
- Why did Shimla lose a huge percentage of their water resource?
- What kind of crisis is India experiencing?
- Who is the chief minister of Shimla?
- How many hotels were illegally built in the city of Shimla?
Discussion Questions:
- Do you think that the government should have control over water resources? Please explain.
- In your opinion, what are the other reasons why India is experiencing a water crisis?
- Why do you think water is considered a basic human need?
- Did you ever experience water shortage in your country? Why or why not?
- Do you think there are ways to prevent a water crisis? Please explain.