Groundwater - out of sight but can't be out of mind

THIS World Water Day, I wholeheartedly support the year's focus theme - Groundwater: making the invisible visible. While groundwater is the source of more than half of the world's drinking water, in my country Denmark, more than 99 per cent of drinking water is from groundwater. We in Denmark are also lucky to have some of the world's best drinking water and in most cases can drink it straight from the tap or with minimal filtration and treatment. But sadly, this is not the case in most parts of the world.

Climate change, coupled with economic and population growth, is leading to grave problems such as depletion and pollution of this vital source of water. Though globally around 40 per cent of groundwater is used for irrigated agriculture and about a third is required for industry, given that this resource is below ground and is out of sight, it is out of mind for most people. We cannot continue to ignore this invisible yet critical resource, and need to make its importance visible.

Groundwater is critical not only for economic reasons, but to also sustain ecosystems - as it plays an important role in maintaining the flow of rivers and in preventing land from sinking and seawater intrusion. A case in point here is Jakarta, where the main reason for the sinking of the city is claimed to be excessive extraction of its groundwater. This has led to the Indonesian government's decision to relocate its capital to the East Kalimantan province by 2024.