![]() “We are seeing the results of unregulated groundwater use in many places around the world, and the potential negative impacts of this kind of poor governance can only be avoided if people realize the importance of groundwater. “The infographic comes at a particularly pertinent moment,” said Karen Villholth, Research Group Leader for Resilient and Sustainable Groundwater at the International Water Management Institute and Coordinator of the GRIPP initiative. The graphic then goes on to show some of the potential future impacts, highlighting residual potential groundwater development in regions of the world, like in parts of Africa, which can cushion against climate change and population growth, but also what could occur if we do not act now to manage this critical freshwater resource, especially in already heavily dependent regions. This is causing ‘sinking’ and increased flooding, compounded by the rise in sea level and extreme weather events. Overexploitation of groundwater under the tall buildings and heavy infrastructure of the city has caused subsidence, a downward settling of the ground surface. Unregulated extraction in parts of western India, for example, has led to dramatic drops in groundwater levels, leading to detrimental water shortages, exacerbated by droughts.Įven the recent news story about Indonesia relocating its capital city, Jakarta, is related to groundwater use. Without proper management, however, the extensive use of groundwater can have serious consequences, some of which are already apparent in parts of the world. Currently representing one third of all freshwater use and half of the water used for irrigation globally, use of groundwater has brought about many benefits to humankind, as the timeline clearly demonstrates. The graphic, which was put together with the support of select partners from the Groundwater Solutions Initiative for Policy and Practice ( GRIPP), shows the trajectory of groundwater extraction and use, which really took off globally in the 1950’s. ![]() From the left: Arnaud Sterckx, IGRAC Karen Villholth, IWMI, Kirsty Upton, BGS, Brighton Munyai, SADC-GMI Julian Conrad, Geohydrological and Spatial Solutions International (GEOSS) and IAH.Īn infographic entitled ‘ GROUNDWATER – Critical for Sustainable Development’ illustrating a timeline of groundwater use throughout history and projected outcomes of continued groundwater abstraction was launched today at the 2nd Southern African Development Community – Groundwater Management Institute ( SADC-GMI) conference in Johannesburg, South Africa. GRIPP and partner representatives at the launch of the Groundwater and SDG infographic during the 2nd SADC Groundwater Conference.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |