World News for Students of English

12-05-2026 07:00

The quality of drinking water varies a lot across Europe. While many European countries have the best water systems in the world, the groundwater they depend on is under threat.

More than 20% of groundwater in the EU is in poor chemical status. This means it contains harmful substances like mercury, cadmium, and nitrates (from fertilizers) above safe levels. Treating this water is incredibly expensive; removing nitrates alone costs the EU about 320 billion euros every year. According to the Environmental Performance Index, countries like Finland, Iceland, Norway, and the UK have perfect scores for safe drinking water. However, some countries have serious problems with their groundwater purity. In Luxembourg, 79% of mapped groundwater is in poor condition, followed by the Czech Republic at 55%, and Belgium and Germany at around 40%.

The main threats today are pesticides, forever chemicals (PFAS), and pharmaceutical waste. The EU is now using a watchlist to track new dangerous substances that can impact human hormones to ensure tap water stays safe for the future.

Difficult words: vary (to be different in different situations or places), cadmium (a silver-white metal that is very toxic and dangerous for your health), purity (being clean and not mixed with anything harmful).

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