Water Tables Falling and Rivers Running Dry

Earth Policy Institute
Plan B 2.0 Book Byte
For Immediate Release
July 24, 2007

WATER TABLES FALLING AND RIVERS RUNNING DRY

As the world’s demand for water has tripled over the last half-century and as the demand for hydroelectric power has grown even faster, dams and diversions of river water have drained many rivers dry. As water tables fall, the springs that feed rivers go dry, reducing river flows.

Scores of countries are overpumping aquifers as they struggle to satisfy their growing water needs, including each of the big three grain producers–China, India, and the United States. More than half the world’s people live in countries where water tables are falling.

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