Bangladesh, India, Pakistan are among the top ten countries in the world responsible for the extraction of most groundwater, a report by the United Nations said, while raising sustainability concerns over the fast depletion of groundwater in various regions, including in South Asia. 

The UN World Water Development Report 2022, titled “Groundwater: making the invisible visible,” was released on Monday by the UN-Water. The report says the Asia-Pacific region is responsible for the extraction of almost 60 percent of total groundwater extraction of the world. 

About 69 percent of the total extracted groundwater is being used for the agriculture sector, with South Asia being among the regions most reliant —roughly 57 percent of the total irrigated land— on groundwater for irrigating its land.

The report attributes the rising demand for water to the growing population, rapid economic development, and improving living standards, especially in the Asia Pacific region.
 
“These socio-economic benefits have been particularly crucial for the agricultural sector – a sector that is key to economic development in many developing countries in the region, and that accounts for an estimated 82% of total water withdrawals,” the report said. 

The report also warns of the consequences of unsustainable extractions in the form of rapid depletion of aquifers leading to scarcity of water. 

“Additionally, the groundwater quality is under threat due to the variety of anthropogenic and geogenic drivers that further contributed to water scarcity in the region [Asia Pacific],” reads the report. 

(SAM)