We keep on hearing about droughts and water shortages, yet around 70% of the earth’s surface is covered by water, so how is this possible?
Although this is so, only approximately 2.5 % of that surface water is fresh water. If this is true, then where do we get our drinking water from, as we cannot drink saltwater? Most of our drinking water comes from groundwater, which is why it is so important to us and important that we look after it.
Why is Groundwater So Important?
In order to understand why groundwater is so important, we need to understand what it is and where it comes from.
Groundwater is water that is under the surface of the earth; it collects in underground aquifers, which are undergrounds beds or layers that yield groundwater for springs and wells. This water can collect there for thousands of years, all the while being filtered by the rock formations, which is why spring water is so pure and sweet.
Groundwater is brought to the surface in different ways, and is used for industrial purposes, agricultural purposes and for drinking water.
Although the earth contains exactly the same amount of water as it did the day it was formed, many countries and regions are experiencing droughts, water shortages and water scarcity. The water problems that we are facing are due to:
A changing climate brought about by global warming, which has meant a change in seasons, causing droughts in some places and floods in others. Areas that were getting very little rain before are now getting even less, and those that had a good rainfall are getting more.
Earth is experiencing a burgeoning population explosion, which means that the same amount of water that served around 1 billion people a century ago must now serve almost 7 billion; in other words, the pie has not gotten smaller, but the slices of the pie have.
The earth’s water cycle means that although all water eventually returns to the earth in various ways, it does not always return to the same place from whence it came. Water that is taken up into the atmosphere in the form of evaporation for instance, forms clouds in the sky and then when the clouds get too heavy that same water falls back to earth in the form of rain. The problem is that the water could have been picked up in Australia but may fall back to earth in Thailand; far away from where it came from.
When groundwater levels drop, it means less water for the surrounding community who depend on this as a source for their drinking water, as well as water for personal hygiene and other uses. We need to ensure that our groundwater is protected and that we do not waste water but reuse and recycle water where we can in order to preserve groundwater levels.
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