Read the passage carefully and answer the question that follows.

Water shortages are increasingly shaping public health, livelihoods, and social stability across many regions. Although the planet contains abundant water, safe and affordable supplies are unevenly distributed. In many lower-income communities, families face dry taps or polluted sources while wealthier neighbourhoods and powerful users receive more reliable access. This imbalance is not merely the result of weather patterns; it is reinforced by decisions about investment, ownership, and political influence.

Efforts to address the problem often move slowly because influential agricultural, industrial, and energy groups oppose changes that could limit their access. Methods such as collecting rainwater and converting seawater can help in particular places, but they cannot by themselves ensure fair distribution. Lasting water security requires accountable public institutions, open decision-making, and policies that regard water as a shared necessity rather than a product reserved for those with greater power or wealth.

Why does the passage suggest that technical methods alone are insufficient to achieve lasting water security?

The correct answer is: Because fair access also depends on accountable institutions and equitable public policies.

Step-by-Step Explanation:

1. Identify the Core Question: The question asks why technical methods (such as collecting rainwater or converting seawater) alone are insufficient to achieve lasting water security based on the provided passage.

2. Analyze the Textual Evidence: The second paragraph of the passage states:
"Methods such as collecting rainwater and converting seawater can help in particular places, but they cannot by themselves ensure fair distribution. Lasting water security requires accountable public institutions, open decision-making, and policies that regard water as a shared necessity rather than a product reserved for those with greater power or wealth."

3. Evaluate the Logical Reasoning: Technical solutions can increase localized water availability, but water shortages and uneven distribution are strongly driven by decisions regarding investment, ownership, and political influence. Without accountable governance and equitable public policies, technological interventions cannot guarantee fair access for marginalized communities.

4. Review the Options:
- "Because these methods inevitably make shortages worse in dry areas." (Incorrect: The passage notes they can help in particular places, not make shortages worse).
- "Because rainwater collection and seawater conversion are not yet available." (Incorrect: The passage mentions these methods are already being used).
- "Because using such methods always diverts money away from essential public services." (Incorrect: This point is never mentioned in the text).
- "Because fair access also depends on accountable institutions and equitable public policies." (Correct: This matches the explicit statement in the passage).