DAKAR — Untapped groundwater resources have "vast
potential," the
UN's cultural agency said Monday, potentially alleviating
demand for ever-scarcer water supplies across the world.
اضافة اعلان
In a report, cultural agency
UNESCO stated that about 99
percent of all of the liquid groundwater on Earth is groundwater, although the
resource is often poorly understood or undervalued.
"In the context of growing water scarcity in many parts
of the world, the vast potential of groundwater and the need to manage it
carefully can no longer be overlooked," the report said.
Water consumption is expected to increase by one percent
annually over the next 30 years, UNESCO said, driven by population growth and demand
from industry and agriculture.
UNESCO Director General
Audrey Azoulay stated that humans
are increasingly polluting or drying up existing water resources —
"sometimes with irreversible consequences".
"Making smarter use of the potential of still sparsely
developed groundwater resources, and protecting them from pollution and
overexploitation, is essential to meet the fundamental needs of an
ever-increasing global population and to address the global climate and energy
crises," she said.
Groundwater currently constitutes about 50 percent of the
water withdrawn for domestic use worldwide, and 25 percent of the volume used
for irrigation, according to UNESCO.
But governance of the resource is often poor and there is a
shortage of technical expertise in some parts of the world, notably in
sub-Saharan Africa.
Among other things, UNESCO urged better data collection for
groundwater resources, suggesting that oil, gas and mining firm share their
in-house data with public authorities.
The UN agency released the 248-page report at the start of
the World Water Forum, which is taking place in West African state of Senegal
and ends on Friday.
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