Approximately 70% of groundwater withdrawals are allocated for agricultural use, often necessary when surface water sources are inadequate.
In regions within the Indo-Gangetic basin of India, some have already surpassed the tipping point of groundwater depletion, and it is anticipated that the entire northwestern area will face critically low groundwater availability by 2025, as outlined in a recent United Nations report.
Titled “Interconnected Disaster Risks Report 2023” and released by the United Nations University – Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS), this report emphasizes that our planet is nearing six crucial environmental tipping points: acceleration of species extinctions, depletion of groundwater, melting of mountain glaciers, space debris accumulation, intolerable heat levels, and an uninsurable future.
Environmental tipping points signify critical thresholds in Earth’s systems, beyond which abrupt and often irreversible transformations take place, leading to profound and, at times, catastrophic alterations in ecosystems, climate patterns, and the overall environment.
Approximately 70% of groundwater withdrawals are allocated for agricultural use, often necessary when surface water sources are inadequate. Aquifers serve as vital resources for mitigating agricultural losses caused by drought, a challenge expected to worsen due to climate change.
However, the report warns that aquifers themselves are approaching their tipping point. More than half of the world’s major aquifers are depleting at a faster rate than they can naturally recharge. When the water table drops below a level accessible by existing wells, farmers may lose their access to water, thereby jeopardizing entire food production systems.
Some countries, like Saudi Arabia, have already exceeded the groundwater risk tipping point, while others, including India, are in close proximity to it.
“India is the world’s largest consumer of groundwater, surpassing the combined usage of the United States and China. The northwestern region of India serves as the nation’s primary source of sustenance for its vast population of 1.4 billion people, with the states of Punjab and Haryana accounting for 50% of the country’s rice supply and 85% of its wheat stocks.
“However, 78% of wells in Punjab are considered overexploited, and the northwestern region as a whole is predicted to face critically low groundwater availability by 2025,” the report conveys.
Jack O’Connor, the lead author and senior expert at UNU-EHS, mentioned, “As we approach these tipping points, we will already begin to experience the impacts. Once crossed, it will be difficult to go back. Our report can help us see risks ahead of us, the causes behind them, and the urgent changes required to avoid them.”
