Antinuclear

Worldwide depletion of groundwater

 since the year 1900 up to the year 2008, something in the order of 4,500 cubic kilometres of depletion; most of that occurring in the last 50 years. That’s how much less water is in the ground today than 108 years ago.

Audio  http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2012/s3413882.htm   Is the world facing a groundwater crisis? ABC Rural radio Dubravka Voloder reported this story on   January 23, 2012 MARK COLVIN: Water is not just a sensitive subject in Australia. In a crowded world of seven billion people, water is an increasing source of friction and the lack of it could have damaging results.

International water researchers say that water shortages could affect world food production in the next few decades unless something’s done about it. The scientists are meeting in Sydney to discuss whether there’ll be a groundwater crisis.

Dubravka Voloder reports.

DUBRAVKA VOLODER: Groundwater has been stored in underground
reservoirs for thousands of years.

But the scientists say in the past few decades we have been draining
the water faster than it’s being replaced.

LEONARD KONIKOW: In the last century, actually since the year 1900 up
to the year 2008, something in the order of 4,500 cubic kilometres of
depletion; most of that occurring in the last 50 years. That’s how
much less water is in the ground today than 108 years ago.

DUBRAVKA VOLODER: Dr Leonard Konikow from the Geological Survey in the
United States.

Some areas are worse affected than others. In India for example a
reservoir that took tens of thousands of years to fill has been
emptied in just over a century, making the remaining water too salty
to use. And there are other examples.
LEONARD KONIKOW: You know, I’m not sure at what point it becomes a
crisis but it’s certainly a serious problem.

In some areas of China, in the central part of the US the water levels
in the wells and the water table has dropped tens of metres in a few
tens of years and that increases the cost of pumping water out of the
ground. It makes the water supply unsustainable in the long run. There
will be consequences.

DUBRAVKA VOLODER: The depletion of groundwater is caused by a
competition between cities, industries and agriculture.

The experts say it will affect food production in some areas in the
next few decades……
http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2012/s3413882.htm

January 24, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Audiovisual