Groundwater Management

97% of all unfrozen freshwater is groundwater- all our great and mighty rivers put together are only a fraction of it. However, just because it lies underground, it gets hidden from our sight and from our minds. We have not assessed our groundwater resources well enough. But we do know that between 2003 and 2010, we lost 90 km3 of it, mostly due to bad management and overuse. This has contributed to what can be described as an “underground drought,” affecting regions across the Americas, Africa, South Asia, and China. Predictably, the worst effects are being felt by the poor and the marginalized communities.

This theme page is a space to put together what we know: what has led to the problem? What is being done/ can be done to address it? By whom? We have brought together videos, webinars, resources, links, discussions, articles, and blog posts that would help answer this very important question and raise others that we need to ask. But this is not a static repository. We urge you to participate: comment, voice your opinion, share your knowledge and post your videos. Please enrich this space and add to the discussion!