.png)
Groundwater Depletion: The Invisible Crisis
- Asiya Siddiqui
- Mar 17, 2025
- 3 min read
By: Danwoo Kim
March 3, 2025
Introduction:
Groundwater is the water that is held underground, typically in the soil or pores and crevices of rock (oceans are not considered groundwater). Wells are commonly associated with this natural resource, but many places do not even recognize the relevance of groundwater in their systems, as “the majority of states don’t know how many wells they have . . . many have incomplete records of older wells . . . and many states don’t register the millions of household wells that dot the country.” [1] As such, these wells are a highly unregulated water system that is even further convoluted due to state legislation and other legal principles. However, while the principle behind this resource is confusing, it has undeniable factors that make it a strong driving force in nurturing the world’s population.
The Problem with Groundwater Depletion:
Groundwater provides about 99 percent of the world’s liquid freshwater, along with about 50% water for domestic use and 25% for irrigation [4]. Despite its inconspicuous nature, groundwater is clearly one of the most important sources of liquid sustenance that the world relies on. However, the volume of this resource has decreased rapidly throughout the years, due to factors such as drying up wells, climate change, exponential population growth, and over pumping of groundwater [5]. While groundwater is replenished through precipitation, increasing expansion of infrastructure and rural to urban migration has prevented the restoration of these already minimal storages, putting more pressure on an increasing risk of water scarcity [2].
In addition to this, about 17% of endangered species rely on groundwater for survival [2]. This is important as these endangered species are crucial to maintaining the biodiversity of many ecosystems across the world, contributing to various services from nature that are critical for human survival [3]. Considering all these impacts, the most important factor that will impact humans most directly is the scarcity of drinking water and water for domestic usage. With factors such as these being essential to human life, solutions must be considered and enacted against this “invisible crisis.”
Potential Solutions:
One such solution is to enforce caps on groundwater removal, preventing over pumping of water, while also increasing permeable surfaces in cities and harvesting rainwater in attempts to increase water replenishment in groundwater. Efforts to reduce contamination, such as utilizing carpooling or planting trees, should be utilized to reduce pollution in groundwater and increase groundwater that can be utilized. Alternate water sources may be researched as well for a substitute for water irrigation, such that the water may be used for other purposes.
Or for an average person, even just actively conserving water usage can aid in preserving groundwater. Of course, groundwater depletion, while a huge problem that is a part of everyday lives, is often lost from the spotlight in comparison to other more widely renowned problems such as climate change or inflation. Methods to increase attention on this camouflaged issue may include community-wide campaigns, particularly in regions that are most affected by droughts or water depletion. Social media may be utilized to reach out to local communities, perhaps even utilizing interviews from impoverished people to bring a more personal touch to the argument. Although groundwater is an unassuming resource, its importance should not be overlooked, and preventative steps must be taken to reverse the steadily increasing groundwater depletion crisis.
Support our cause!
References:
1. Cohen, S. (2023, November 6). America’s Groundwater Crisis. State of the Planet, https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2023/11/06/americas-groundwater-crisis/
2. The Nature Conservancy. (2022, March 13). Groundwater: Our Most Valuable Hidden Resource. The Nature Conservancy. https://www.nature.org/en-us/what-we-do/our-insights/perspectives/groundwater-most-valuable-resource/
3. The Royal Society. (2024). Why is Biodiversity Important? Royalsociety.org. https://royalsociety.org/news-resources/projects/biodiversity/why-is-biodiversity-important/
4. UNEP. (2022, December 7). How groundwater, Earth’s “invisible” resource, can combat effects of record droughts. UNEP - UN Environment Programme. https://www.unep.org/technical-highlight/how-groundwater-earths-invisible-resource-can-combat-effects-record-droughts
5. Water Science High School. (2018, June 6). Groundwater Decline and Depletion | U.S. Geological Survey. Www.usgs.gov. https://www.usgs.gov/special-topics/water-science-school/science/groundwater-decline-and-depletion
Comments