Water Pumped From the Ground at Unsustainable Rates

"Pumping water" by krebsmaus07 licensed under CC BY 2.0
Pumping water” by krebsmaus07 licensed under CC BY 2.0

Source: National Geographic

National Geographic reported that our planet’s groundwater supply is being pumped at an unsustainable rate that is causing serious destruction around the world.

Beijing, Shanghai and Mexico city, among others, are sinking from too much groundwater being pumped, with Beijing sinking four inches every year. Parts of California are sinking too, some localized areas up to 28 inches.

“Drought, bad management of pumping, leaky pipes in big-city municipal water systems, aging infrastructure, inadequate technology, population growth, and the demand for more food production all put increasing demand on pumping more groundwater,” National Geographic reported.

The United Nations reported predictions of serious depletion of groundwater supply – which makes up 30 percent of the world’s fresh water – by 2030 if action is not taken to regulate water pumping. However, farmers from developing countries around the world heavily rely on groundwater, which poses a major obstacle for such regulations.

Read full story at: National Geographic

Environment, News
Environment, News