Asia, US plains facing water extraction crisis

[FarCenter]

Heavily-populated regions of Asia, the arid Middle East and parts of the US corn belt are dangerously over-exploiting their underground water supplies, according to a study published on Wednesday in the journal Nature.

"The countries that are overusing groundwater most significantly are the United States, India, China, Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Mexico, and the highest number of people that are impacted by this live in India and China," Canadian hydrologist Tom Gleeson told AFP.

"Over a quarter of the world's population live in these regions where groundwater is being overused," he said in a phone interview.

Many places are rapidly pumping out "fossil" water, or water that was laid down sometimes thousands of years ago and cannot be replaced on a human timescale.
http://www.france24.com/en/20120808-asia-us-plains-facing-water-extraction-crisis