IELTS Reading GT – Format, Tips, and Practice for General Training IELTS Mock Tests – Expert

IELTS READING – Walking on Water (Expert Mock 5 GT P3)

12 Nov 2026

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IELTS Reading Walking on Water reading practice test – Passage 3 of Expert Mock Test 5 (General Training)

Read the text below and answer Questions 28-40.

Walking on Water

The availability of groundwater has always been taken for granted by Australians. Groundwater supplies have in prior times been perceived as a resource of infinite bounds – the prevailing mind-set was "out of sight, out of mind". This has all changed with the modern era. Persistent neglect has resulted in numerous complications for groundwater users, and many interest groups have a great stake in its management and allocation. Over-allocation of surface water and persistent water shortages mean that reliance on groundwater supplies is expected to swell in the coming years.

The main point of concern now is whether or not a groundwater source can deliver a sustainable yield. This relies on a proper management of discharge (outflow) and recharge (inflow) rates. Discharge occurs when humans extract water, as well as through vegetation and evaporation into the atmosphere. Sustainable use therefore depends on keeping within the recharge rate; if humans extract water beyond that rate, the source can be adversely affected.

Queensland is one of the most active states in managing groundwater supplies. This is because the territory sits atop the Great Artesian Basin (GAB), an expansive underground aquifer¹ that covers nearly one-fifth of the Australian continent. This resource has long been used by indigenous people and outback communities, particularly in times of drought (when surface water could dry up for hundreds of kilometres on end). Since farmers at Kerribee pioneered the use of bores² in the country, the number has spiralled beyond sustainable levels and caused water pressure and flow rates across the region to decline. Furthermore, estimates indicate that 80 percent of GAB outflow is wasted because of inefficient and out-dated delivery systems. Open drains used to keep livestock hydrated are a particular scourge – much water is lost due to seepage and evaporation.

A number of initiatives have been undertaken to help stem this problem. The Queensland Government declared in 2005 a moratorium³ on issuing new licences for water extraction from the GAB. A strategy group known as the Great Artesian Basin Consultative Council has also published a management plan that involves capping some bores (to prevent further declines in pressure) and rehabilitating hundreds of other bores and bore drains with troughs and polyester piping (to prevent water seeping into the earth).

It is now also apparent that corruption of groundwater supplies by humans is going to be an issue to contend with. In 2006, thousands of Sydney residents had their groundwater usage curtailed due to industrial pollution of the Botany Sands aquifer. Bore water for any domestic purpose has since been off limits due to chemical seepage from an estimated eight industrial sites.

Nevertheless, groundwater plans continue apace. Development of a controversial desalination plan has been postponed indefinitely while the feasibility of exploiting two aquifers near Sydney is explored. Authorities intend to use the aquifers to provide up to thirty gigalitres of water a year during dry spells and then leave them alone to replenish during higher rainfall years. But the proposed scheme is riddled with difficulties; low flow rates are hampering extraction; replenishment rates are lower than expected; and salinity imbalances caused by the procedure could wreak havoc on efforts to preserve wetland flora and fauna ecosystems that rely on a plentiful, clean and steady supply of water from the aquifers.

It is not too late to turn groundwater into a sustainable resource. Groundwater is renewable through surface run off (and, at a much slower rate, in organic springs where water is naturally drip fed through rock on its way to aquifers). At present, however, experts believe excessive amounts of ground water are being squandered on aesthetic projects such as keeping parks, gardens and golf courses green.

Aside from more judicious use of groundwater, many experts also believe that we need to look at harnessing other potential sources in order to meet water needs. During rainy seasons, for example, urban areas are inundated with storm water and flash flooding that can bring cities to a standstill. Better storm water control mechanisms could potentially capture and preserve this rainwater for use at a later date.

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1 A layer of rock, sand or gravel through which groundwater flows
2 Holes drilled deep into the ground
3 A stop, postponement or delay

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