While we use World Water Day 2022 to celebrate groundwater and make it visible, two things become clear: the water from aquifers faces a number of different threats, and those who benefit from this source understand well its importance.
In Chattogram, Bangladesh, pollution from a badly managed sanitation system has affected the quality of aquifers. Residents who used to rely on it now have to pay for other sources of drinking water.
Climate change also threatens groundwater in countries like Madagascar, where boreholes cease to be viable due to the reduced amount of rain – a direct consequence of higher temperatures. Watch the video below to know more:
Those who consume groundwater daily understand well its value – and ask everybody to give it more respect. In Ghana and Mozambique, residents celebrate the quality of the water they use and which comes from under their feet. Watch our second video for World Water Week 2022 to hear from them why groundwater must be preserved.
Top image: child fetches water in the Ashanti region, Ghana. Credit: Paul Obeng