DAKAR
\nWhile groundwater accounts for 99 percent of all running freshwater on the earth, it is often undervalued, mismanaged and overexploited, according to a report published by the UN scientific organisation, UNESCO.
\n\u201cGroundwater is a critical natural resource, invisible but indispensable for life on our planet\u201d, UNESCO chief Audrey Azoulay said in the foreword of making the invisible visible, the latest edition of the UN World Water Development Report (WWDR).
\nNoting that nearly 50 percent of the world\u2019s urban population depends on underground water sources, she pointed out that \u201cmore and more aquifers are being polluted, overexploited, and dried up by humans, sometimes with irreversible consequences.\u201d
\nAt the opening ceremony of the Ninth World Water Forum in Dakar, Senegal, the authors shone a spotlight on the vast potential of groundwater, the need to manage it sustainably and a call for states to address current and future water crises throughout the globe. In addition to providing water to drink and for other domestic uses, around 25 percent is essential for irrigating crops.
\nMoreover, water use is projected to grow by roughly one percent annually over the next 30 years, and dependency on groundwater is expected to rise along with the impact of global warming.
\nTapping more sustainably into groundwater is essential to meet the fundamental needs of an ever-increasing global population and to address the global climate and energy crises, the report contends.
\n\u201cImproving the way we use and manage groundwater is an urgent priority if we are to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030,\u201d said Gilbert Houngbo, UN-Water Chair and President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), in the report\u2019s forward.
\n\u201cDecision-makers must begin to take full account of the vital ways in which groundwater can help ensure the resilience of human life and activities in a future where the climate is becoming increasingly unpredictable.\u201d
\nThe quality of groundwater makes it safe and affordable, without requiring advanced levels of treatment, according to the report. Moreover, it is often the most cost-effective way to securely supply water to rural villages and could act as an economic growth catalyst by increasing irrigated areas and improving agricultural yields and crop diversity. In terms of climate change adaptation, aquifer systems can be utilized to improve year-round freshwater availability, as they evaporate substantially less than surface reservoirs.
\nFrom collecting data to strengthening environmental regulations and reinforcing human, material and financial resources, the report offers concrete recommendations to unlock the enormous potential of groundwater. Acquiring data and information \u2013 usually the responsibility of national and local groundwater agencies \u2013 could be complemented by the private sector, the authors argue.
\nAnd as a matter of corporate social responsibility, private companies are highly encouraged to share these data and information with public sector professionals.?Because it is practically irreversible, groundwater pollution must be avoided \u2013 and its invisible nature makes prosecuting polluters quite challenging.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
DAKAR While groundwater accounts for 99 percent of all running freshwater on the earth, it is often undervalued, mismanaged and overexploited, according to a report published by the UN scientific organisation, UNESCO. \u201cGroundwater is a critical natural resource, invisible but indispensable for life on our planet\u201d, UNESCO chief Audrey Azoulay said in the foreword of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-250803","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n