Groundwater is world’s insurance policy against climate change: Report
On World Water Day, WaterAid has called to reduce groundwater usage
Groundwater has the potential to save lives and be the world's insurance policy against climate change, according to a report on groundwater development.
The report titled "Groundwater: The world's neglected defense against climate change" jointly released by WaterAid and the British Geological Survey (BGS) emphasised that investment, knowledge, and institutional support is required for groundwater development to secure safe water and sanitation for communities amidst climate crisis.
According to the report, groundwater could help communities cope not only with slow onset impacts like drought and irregular rainfall, but also provide resilience to rapid onset impacts like floods by ensuring safe water is available for all, including schools and hospitals.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
On World Water Day, WaterAid has called to reduce groundwater usage. This drives competition for water and impacts the amount of water available for drinking and washing, said a press release on Monday (21 March).
This year, the theme is "Groundwater - Making the invisible visible," addressing groundwater's vital role in water and sanitation systems, agriculture, industry, ecosystems, and climate change adaptation.
"The major consequence of unregulated and unsustainable groundwater use is that it deepens inequality and may run out at a time when people need it the most," says the report.
Hasin Jahan, country director of WaterAid said, "The over extraction of groundwater is going to disrupt our ecosystem in many folds and become aggregated by climate change impacts. The biggest threats now are salinity and arsenic, and we need sustainable solutions. We need to invest on promotion of technologies like rainwater harvesting system (RWHS) as adaptation measure and make finance accessible to reduce the pressure on groundwater."
She further added to prioritise groundwater governance in discussions and policy making across the sectors including agriculture which require inter-ministerial and cross sectoral collaboration to understand both the threats and risks to share water resources to attain sustainable solutions.
The report recommends that regulations are needed to mitigate the unregulated extraction of groundwater supplies. Additionally, using data and local expertise to develop comprehensive and investable water programmes that can serve climate-vulnerable communities.
