The Global Crisis of Water Depletion and Contamination, Part 1 of a Multi-part Series

Groundwater depletion is a pressing global concern, with hotspots existing in all continents. Countries such as the USA, Mexico, Iran, Chile, Spain, and China face substantial risks due to their heavy reliance on irrigated agriculture supported by rapidly dwindling aquifers, both domestically and through imports. In the United States, California is experiencing some of the world’s most rapid declines in aquifer levels. The Ogallala is a lifeline for many people and lies underneath eight central US states. Moreover, experts are observing indications of a declining snow season, raising concerns for the future of Colorado’s snowpack — a critical water source for millions of people in Colorado and beyond. A recent study revealed that rates of groundwater depletion in India could triple by midcentury. Moreover, approximately 80–90 percent of China’s groundwater is considered unsuitable for drinking, with half of the country’s aquifers too contaminated to be used for industrial or agricultural purposes. Iran is also confronting irreversible groundwater depletion, with an annual deficit exceeding 30 billion cubic meters (BCM).

Projections suggest a potential halving of water resources by 2041, while the population is expected to surpass 100 million. Humans have extracted trillions of tons of groundwater for farming and drinking, so much water that scientists say it has shifted the tilt of the entire planet, moving the rotation axis or North Pole. When groundwater is pumped and used at the surface, it eventually finds its way into the oceans, adding to sea level rise. Scientists have done intensive research on water use in the Western United States to identify the main culprit behind groundwater depletion in this region. All of what’s left in here, the other 86 percent is for growing crops. But what’s even more surprising is that the biggest share of this water goes to crops humans don’t eat. That’s more than all the residential and commercial uses combined. A third of all the water consumed in the West... just for feeding cattle. One of the easiest ways to conserve water resources is to eliminate animal-people meat consumption, adopt the vegan diet, and advocate sustainable vegetable-growing practices.