Technical Report: Groundwater depletion. Interconnected Disaster Risks 2023: Risk Tipping Points

Around 30 per cent of the world’s freshwater is stored as groundwater, often used for drinking water and crop irrigation. A balance between extraction and recharge is critical to maintain stable water levels and ensuring a reliable supply for irrigation and drinking water. However, many global groundwater resources are being depleted faster than they can recharge. Accelerated extraction rates, particularly from agricultural intensification, are putting groundwater resources and the systems that depend on them at risk. This technical background report for the 2023 edition of the Interconnected Disaster Risks report analyses the root causes, drivers, impacts and potential solutions for the groundwater depletion risk tipping point our world is facing through an analysis of academic literature, media articles and expert interviews.