In news– The United Nations-Water Summit on Groundwater 2022 was held in Paris, France recently.
About the summit-
- It was organised by UN-Water, UNESCO and the International Groundwater Resources Assessment Centre.
- The five pillars of the SDG 6 Global Acceleration Framework released in June 2020 — data and information, capacity development, innovation, finance and governance — were the main themes of the discussions.
- The summit aims to raise awareness on groundwater conservation at the global stage will mark the completion of the “Groundwater: Making the invisible visible” campaign run by UN-Water throughout 2022.
- The campaign highlighted the role of groundwater in alleviating poverty, food and water insecurity and other socio-economic development hurdles.
- Groundwater management is imperative to meet the UN-mandated Sustainable Development Goal 6 of providing clean water and sanitation for all.
- The key takeaways from the summit will be presented at the UN 2023 Water Conference to be held in New York in March 2023.
Ground water-
- Groundwater is the water found underground in the cracks and spaces in soil, sand and rock.
- It is stored in and moves slowly through geologic formations of soil, sand and rocks called aquifers.
- Aquifers are typically made up of gravel, sand, sandstone, or fractured rock, like limestone.
Ground water status in India-
India is the largest user of groundwater with a fourth of the total global withdrawal. Indian cities cater to about 48 per cent of its water supply from groundwater.
Source: Down To Earth
