Water Shortages
¥Between
1950 and 2000, world water use tripled
¥Some 70% of water use is for irrigation
¥Overextraction is leading to disappearing lakes and rivers
failing to reach the sea
¥Aquifer depletion is causing water tables to fall and wells
to go dry
¥175 million Indians, 130 million Chinese are fed with grain
produced by overpumping
¥
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Since
the overpumping of aquifers is occurring in many countries more or
less simultaneously, the depletion of aquifers and the resulting
harvest cutbacks could come at roughly the same time, creating
potentially unmanageable food scarcity.
Photo Credit: Yann Arthus-Bertrand