Groundwater, a key source of fresh water for billions of people around the world, is facing a significant decline.
Groundwater accounts for about 30% of the world's freshwater reserves, and is critically important for regions with insufficient precipitation.
For the first time scientists have combined monitoring data from more than 170,000 wells in more than 40 countries, analyzing millions of measurements between 2000 and 2022.
The study revealed that the groundwater level decreased by 71% in 1,693 aquifers with an annual decrease of more than 0.1 meters in 617 of them.
Despite these alarming trends, there are positive dynamics. In some regions, such as Bangkok, Arizona and New Mexico, groundwater reserves have been restored thanks to strategies to limit the exploitation of aquifers, the use of local rivers and saturation of the subsurface with surface waters, rbc.ru reports.
Alex Shishlo for Rough&Polished
