Saturday, August 22, 2009

Overpopulated Regions Strain Water Resources


In a country with over 1.1 billion people, water is an important resource needed to grow huge crops that sustain the region. Nasa just released findings that water tables in northwestern India are falling at a rate of 4cm per year. The 100 million people in this region are using irrigation techniques that funnel 90 percent of the runoff from the Himalayas to fields around Delhi.

While technology can help to reduce water consumption with more efficient practices, reducing the population growth rate would provide a means for a more sustainable future. Providing education in family planning, and basic education for women would reduce the problem of overpopulation.
--Jessica Milstead

Source: bbc.co.uk