"Since at least 2008, scientists have warned that unchecked groundwater pumping for the city and for agriculture was rapidly draining the country's aquifers. The overuse did not just deplete underground reservesit destroyed them, as the land compressed and sank irreversibly. One recent study found that Iran's central plateau, where most of the country's aquifers are located, is sinking by more than 35 centimeters each year."
"As a result, the aquifers lose about 1.7 billion cubic meters of water annually as the ground is permanently crushed, leaving no space for underground water storage to recover, says Dario Solano, a geoscientist at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, who was not involved with the study. We saw this coming, Solano says. Other major cities such as Cape Town, South Africa, Mexico City and Jakarta, Indonesia, as well as parts of California, are also facing day zero scenarios"
Tehran faces a deepening ecological crisis and acute water shortage that make it unsustainable as the national capital. Officials are considering relocating the capital to the southern coast, but relocation does not address immediate hardships for nearly 10 million residents. Unchecked groundwater pumping since at least 2008 for urban use and agriculture has rapidly drained and irreversibly destroyed central plateau aquifers through land compression and subsidence. One study finds the central plateau is sinking by more than 35 centimeters each year. Aquifers lose about 1.7 billion cubic meters of water annually as the ground is permanently crushed, eliminating underground storage capacity for recovery. Similar day-zero scenarios threaten other major cities including Cape Town, Mexico City, Jakarta, and parts of California.
Read at www.scientificamerican.com
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