Parts of North America are poised to become “hotspots of water scarcity” within decades, partly because pollutants will make some water sources harder to use, scientists warned on Tuesday, urging governments to safeguard these vital resources and sustainably tackle pollution.Key Facts
Sub-basins are crucial sources of drinking water but are increasingly at risk from human activity and land use. Considering levels of nitrogen alone—nitrogen is abundant in nature but can enter waterways through agricultural runoff and sewage andof algae and aquatic plants that can clog rivers and deplete dissolved oxygen—drastically increased the number of sub-basins facing scarcity, the researchers found.