The hidden crisis beneath our feet

Disappearing groundwater requires action to prevent widespread water scarcity

Groundwater is the primary water source for billions of people and for nearly half of irrigated agriculture, yet its incon- spicuous presence has allowed groundwater to elude effective governance and manage- ment in countless regions around the world. Consequently, more than half of the world’s major aquifers are being depleted, some of them at an alarming pace.