In 1993, the United Nations declared March 22 as World Water Day. Every year since then, stakeholders come together to raise awareness of the importance of water to life on earth. The work of this year focuses on ground water, the second largest source of fresh water after inland ice and glaciers. In comparison to surface water, which makes up only 1 % of the world’s fresh water supply, the underground location of this water source means that it is not at the forefront of the general understanding of this issue. This situation stands in stark contrast to water supply statistics: ground water accounts for the vast majority of all water usage, not just in dry regions, but also in Germany, where it accounts for 70 % of human water consumption. Ground water is also central to agriculture, many industries and the wider ecosystem. This consumption situation brings the danger of pollution and over-use. Indeed, recent years have seen the water table in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia fall by two meters.
Prof. Mariele Evers, holder of the UNESCO Chair in Human Water Systems, recently gave an Interview to Deutschlandfunk about water loss and its consequences. Further detail is provided in this article.
Research can help to reduce further loss of ground water by providing data on the ground water levels and use, which can be used to generate forecasts and inform on possible responses.
Seeking to mark this year’s World Water Day, the Bonn Water Network (BWN) is holding a virtual event from 5:00 to 6:30 pm on March, 23, to address the question “Digging Deeper: How to address ground water challenges in the Middle East and North Africa?”
Further information about the event and registration is available here.
Established in 2020, the Bonn Water Network currently brings together 11 prestigious institutions with a wealth of experience on water issues. The current speaker of BWN is Dr. Annabelle Houndret from DIE; the co-speaker is Prof. Dr. Mariele Evers from the University of Bonn.
