20% of all the world’s water wells could dry up in the near future. This is the conclusion reached by a group of environmental scientists from the University of California. In their study, the results of which have been published in the journal Science , the researchers analyzed the construction of the groundwater wells of millions of wells around the world.
Investigation Development
According to research, most of the water people consume comes from groundwater wells. In fact, almost half of the water used in agricultural irrigation also comes from wells. However, to date, not much research has been done on the state of water levels on a global scale.
For this reason, scientists have tried to fill that gap by studying the construction records of approximately 39 million wells around the world. Thus, the researchers discovered that between 6 and 20% of all wells in the world are at risk of drying up in the coming decades.
Likewise, the researchers concluded that, in many cases, the construction of new wells has not taken into account the low levels of groundwater. Therefore, they will probably dry out as quickly as the old wells, since they have not been dug deeply.
Droughts and global warming
In addition, James Famiglietti and Grant Ferguson, scientists at the University of Saskatchewan, consider that the reason for the reduction in water volumes in aquifers is due, among other reasons, to the fact that humans extract more water than nature does. can replenish.
Groundwater, used to irrigate crops, livestock, and quench thirst in general for thousands of years, remains a vital resource around the world. However, many places on the planet have begun to suffer prolonged droughts due to global warming and the absence of rain.
So unless we take urgent action, access to clean water could soon become a privilege suitable only for the richest countries.
