Question

The charts below show the percentage of water used for different purposes in six areas of the world. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Model Answer

The six charts provided show water utilisation around the world. Globally, it can be seen that agriculture typically consumes the most water. However, two regions, Europe and North America, are exceptions in that water is predominantly used by industry.

Water usage in South East Asia, Africa, Central Asia, and, to a lesser extent, South America, follows a similar pattern. That is to say, in these regions, agriculture is by far the largest consumer of water, accounting for 88%, 84%, 81%, and 71% respectively. In the first three of these, the remaining water usage is split relatively equally between the industrial (7%–9%) and domestic (5%–12%) sectors. South America is the exception in that domestic use (19%) is almost double that of industry (10%).

In the remaining two regions, industry relegates agriculture to second position with regard to water consumption. European industry consumes proportionately the most water (53%), with North America a close second (48%). Domestic usage in these two regions is also similar, at between 13% and 15%.

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