Abstract: Oil-gas extraction depletes large amount of fresh water resources and meanwhile deteriorates the environment. It will be a key concern for China to coordinate the national demand for oil-gas energy with the sustainable development of water resources and environment. Status quo of spilled oil pollution induced by oil-gas exploitation at home and abroad is reviewed, and main challenges in the removal of oil spill are briefly summarized. Furthermore, shale gas extraction is taken to illustrate China’s dilemma between the demand for water resources in oil-gas industry and the emerging water scarcity. In view of the potential perils for natural resources and the environment, it’s suggested that scientific studies on water resources safety, management and supervision  policy， and specific  site risk assessment should be performed to cope with the potential water crisis.

Key words: oil-gas extraction, spilled oil pollution, water scarcity, environmental risk assessment