Directions: Read the following six passages and answer the questions that follow. Your answers to these questions should be based on the passage only.
Ninety-seven per cent of the water on the Earth is salt water. Only three per cent is fresh water; slightly over two thirds of this is frozen in glaciers and polar ice. The remaining unfrozen fresh water is found mainly as groundwater, with only a small fraction present above ground or in the air. Fresh water is a renewable resource, yet the world’s supply of clean, fresh water is steadily decreasing. Water demand already exceeds supply in many parts of the world and as the world population continues to rise, so too does the water demand. Awareness of the global importance of preserving water for ecosystem service has only recently emerged as, during the 20th century, more than half the world’s wetland have been lost along with their valuable environmental services for Water Education.
Which among the following is the major contributing factor for the scarcity of water resources on the surface of the earth as per the passage?