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Scientists are warning that Asian farmers are drying up the continent's underground reserves by drilling millions of pump-operated wells to draw out water.
The London-based New Scientist magazine reported on Wednesday that that underground reserves were being depleted so alarmingly that fields might now turn into deserts.
"This little-heralded crisis is repeating itself across Asia and could cause widespread famine in the decades to come," the magazine said in a report on scientists' findings at a recent water conference in Sweden.
The country worst affected is India. There, small farmers have abandoned traditional shallow wells where bullocks draw water in leather buckets to drill 21 million tube wells hundreds of metres below the surface using technology adapted from the oil industry.
Indian nightmare
Another million wells a year are coming into operation in India to irrigate rice and sugar cane fields round the clock.
While the $600 pumps have brought short-term prosperity to many and helped to make India a major rice exporter in less than a generation, future implications are dire, New Scientist said.
"So much water is being drawn from underground reserves that they, and the pumps they feed, are running dry, turning fields that have been fecund for generations into desert," it said.
Asian water issues
Originally posted by drfunk
well in Australia, particularly NSW drinking water is beginning to get dangerously low atm. Our biggest dam which supplies sydney is down to 40%!
damn droughts.
Originally posted by longbow
Don't worry, rich countries will have no water problems (the could even make it from salt water), the problem will be with overpopulated 3rd world countries.
Originally posted by valkeryie
If we will go to war over oil, we will definitely go to war over something we need to live on.
Originally posted by Linux
Wow, im scared to think whats going to happend when the U.S tries to claim the Great Lakes for themselves. Us Canadians won't put up much of a fight at all. Thats why im glad the U.S is rich and can afford desalinization methods to turn salt water back into fresh water, thank you technology again.
Originally posted by Esoterica
Here's a deal, you help us with California, and we'll help you with Quebec
Originally posted by Weller
This thread kind of highlights that. I really think 'resource' wars will be the chief threat to the world as others have mentioned.
Originally posted by ufo3
Pure water can be made from seawater it just takes a lot of power to do it.
Originally posted by FredT
Originally posted by Weller
This thread kind of highlights that. I really think 'resource' wars will be the chief threat to the world as others have mentioned.
You do have a point. Prestige programs like space flight (look we can do it to) when basic needs are not being met is a problem. Look at the projections for the world population versus the declines in food production and potable water. If the midwest of the US was hit by a huge drought, not only would the US be in trouble, but alot of the world as well given the amount of food that is exported worldwide. I like the resourcce wars term. I think it sums up the topic well. I think we are focused so much on oil (no doubt it is important) we are ignoring the obvious one staring us in the face.