June 19, 2012: The fourth United Nations World Water Development report charts global trends in water availability and usage. Central to the study is the issue of access to groundwater and its abstraction (the process of taking water from a ground source, either temporarily or permanently).

“The global groundwater abstraction rate has at least tripled over the past 50 years and is increasing at an annual rate of between 1% and 2%,” noted the report. It names the top 10 groundwater-abstracting countries as of 2010, with India topping the list. The boom in groundwater abstraction has been driven by population growth, in what the report calls “an unprecedented silent revolution”.

The following list shows the top 10 groundwater-abstracting countries as of 2010 and details some of the challenges and economic and geographical features associated with their water consumption. Read More

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