Is water a renewable resource?

Water is technically considered a renewable resource because it can be used over and over again and it has a rain cycle. However, it is only in the short-term that water can be thought of as a renewable resource and the sustainability of this renewable resource is questionable. In the next few centuries it is thought that there will be a severe lack of drinking water, and this effect can already be seen today but with less severity. Although there is the same amount of water on the earth today as there was when the earth was formed, only 3% of this water is usable and this figure is decreasing as time passes as more and more water becomes contaminated or polluted.

One of the main reasons that water may become a non-renewable source is the population growth. The population is expanding at a speedy rate, and this is putting enormous pressure on all our resources, even the renewable ones. As more and more people need access to drinking water, our groundwater and surface water reserves are being used up. The water is being used faster than it can replenish itself, and this will inevitably lead to a water shortage in the future.

In conclusion, water should not be regarded as a renewable, unlimited resource. Rather, water conservation should take main priority and we should try to reduce our water consumption in whatever way possible.