Aquifer Depletion: North China Plain

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Aquifer Depletion: North China Plain

Causes

  • largest agricultural region in China - irrigation is one of the largest global uses of water
  • few rivers - meaning that groundwater needs to be exploited for irrigation
  • growing population and demand for water
  • climate change has increased evaporation rates, so the afforestation in the region that was started in order to sequester carbon has reduced soil water content due to transpiration

Effects

  • the water table of the aquifer has declined by 1m per year
  • measures are being introduced to reduce water use:
  • reduce leaks by using low-pressure irrigation pipes
  • proposals to grow crops that require less water
  • consumers being charged for the volume of water they use - same principles as the installation of water meters in the UK
  • large-scale transfer of water from the Yangtze River to the North China Plain aquifer

Overall summary

The rapid depletion of the North China Plain aquifer has been a result of growing demand, namely for the irrigation of crops, however climate change is increasing evaporation rates and the need for irrigation is increasing. The rise in temperature and evaporation rates also means that aquifer recharge is slower - making it more easy for the rate of abstraction/removal to exceed the rate of inflow into the aquifer. This is when water exploitation becomes unsustainable.

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