The title above is from an often-used phrase, “The next war will not be over oil, but over water.” Let’s face it, water is one of our most precious natural resources. Freshwater is vital to the survival of the human race. You might think that in your part of the world, there is no problem; you turn on the tap and fresh water pours out.
Of course, many other parts of the world are suffering from droughts. Therefore, many will say that what needs to be done is to find new ways of bringing water to those parched regions. We could drill deep wells into the ground in order to tap the water which lies beneath the surface. This water is known as groundwater, and it exists in what are termed aquifers. Perhaps, with the shortage of water, we should think about drilling deep wells in any country facing water shortages.
And that is where the problem lies. Water is drawn out of the aquifers through natural ways such as springs, lakes and small amounts which leak into our rivers. Unfortunately, this natural balance in nature has been badly affected by us humans. Certainly, over the previous 20 years or so, we have been taking vast amounts of water out of the ground and the sad fact is, it can not be replaced easily or at all.
Groundwater is our main way of having fresh water. When it dries up, we will have no water to drink or use to feed our agricultural needs. So, we can expect shortages of food as well. As well as the growing world population, many new technologies use a lot of water. To be honest, we are greedy, thinking that there is an ample supply for all our needs all of the time. This is not true,
Climate change and global warming is evaporating much of our surface water reserves as well. How do we know that the groundwater is reducing? Believe it or not, there are satellites in orbit which monitor such things. It works this way. If the satellite passes over a region where there is a lot of groundwater, there is a small increase in gravity. This makes the satellite “dip” slightly, which is recorded on the ground. When it passes an area that has reduced or very little groundwater, the opposite occurs. The satellite “rises” slightly in its orbit.
Here is another interesting and scary fact. Many of us have heard that due to the melting ice sheets, the sea level is rising, and in the future, coastal regions and low-lying islands will be lost. Examples include the Maldive Islands and New York City. However, melting ice sheets are not the biggest problem. Loss of the groundwater is reaching the oceans faster than before. As a result, this is causing the ocean level to rise more than the ice sheets. In the last 25 years, it is estimated that the oceans have risen around 3.5 inches. This may not seem much, but it is.
Finally, it is also estimated that over 100 countries are facing future droughts. That will affect 75% of the world population. The only regions that are not affected, so far, as the Tropics. This is a clear and present danger. If we do not do something to curb our use, then people and places will be lost forever.
John Pullen 