India’s ‘Unsustainable’ Water

India’s ‘Unsustainable’ Water

Posted on August 13th, 2009 Global Changes 3 comments

NASA research has yielded some worrying information about India’s use of water.

Scientists have found that groundwater levels in northern India have been declining by as much as one foot per year over the past decade. Researchers concluded the loss is almost entirely due to human activity. The findings were published two days after an Indian government report warning of a potential water crisis.

About a quarter of India is experiencing drought conditions, as the monsoon rains have been weaker and later than usual. A welcome change for those usually victims of Bangladesh floods but the lack of water is set to effect more people. However, NASA say more than 26 cubic miles of groundwater disappeared between 2002 and 2008, and that the loss is “almost entirely due to human activity”.

The finding is based on data from NASA’s Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE), a pair of satellites that sense changes in Earth’s gravity field and associated mass distribution, including water masses stored above or below Earth’s surface.

“Using GRACE satellite observations, we can observe and monitor water storage changes in critical areas of the world, from one month to the next, without leaving our desks” Isabella Velicogna of NASA

Source: NASA
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3 responses to “India’s ‘Unsustainable’ Water”
1. John Paily September 23rd, 2009 at 05:33
  
  Water crisis is real. With increasing heat and atmospheric demands, the water tables are depleting faster than never before. The demand on the other hand is increasing. It is time the world awakens to the problem bring awareness, innovation, and makes policies to harvest and conserve water. Grace New Age Research shares with the world a new innovative concept of hour glass pocket dams for water harvesting and conservation. The full article exists in the following address. http://sites.google.com/site/awakeningtotruth/water-crisis-and-future-management
2. Event Production October 30th, 2009 at 15:01
  
  We need to look after the worlds resources more responsibly if we are to continue living without a catastrophic shortage of the basics like food and water over the next century.
3. Christmas Hampers October 30th, 2009 at 15:02
  
  Isn’t it ironic that there is a water shortage in the north yet flooding in the south in Bangladesh. The world is delicately balanced and we are upsetting it.
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