World News for Students of English

12-05-2026 07:00

Is tap water in Europe safe? The answer is mostly yes, but there are some worries. Experts say that groundwater, which provides 65% of our drinking water, is getting polluted.

In countries like Belgium, Germany, and the Czech Republic, a large part of the underground water has too many chemicals. These chemicals come from farming and factories. Cleaning this water so we can drink it costs billions of euros every year. Some countries are doing a great job – Finland, Switzerland, and the Netherlands have some of the cleanest tap water in the world. On the other hand, countries like Moldova, Romania, and Latvia have lower scores for water safety.

Scientists are also finding new problems, like microplastics and forever chemicals, which stay in the water for a long time. The EU is making new rules to watch these substances more closely and protect our health.

Difficult words: tap water (water for drinking or washing which is in our houses), polluted (made dirty, contaminated, or harmful by waste, chemicals, or other dangerous substances), forever chemicals (man-made chemicals that do not break down naturally in the environment).

You can watch the original video in the Level 3 section.