Beijing time:2022-10-05 09:47
[NTD, Beijing, October 5, 2022]California has experienced the worst drought in history for three consecutive years. Due to excessive groundwater extraction, a large number of wells have dried up, and the daily drinking water problem has almost fallen into a vicious cycle.
More than 94 percent of California is in severe or extreme drought, according to the USDrought Monitor.
Since farmers already have so little surface water from depleted reservoirs, more groundwater has to be pumped out to irrigate their crops.
Andrew Ayres, researcher at the California Institute for Public Policy: “In a lot of places, people are not only pumping water as they used to, but they’re actually pumping more than in rainy years because they don’t get surface water. So you can see groundwater Bits drop quite sharply during the drought.”
The massive extraction of groundwater has resulted in the inability of rainwater and snowmelt to replenish groundwater resources.
More than 1,200 wells have dried up statewide this year, a 57 percent increase from the same time last year, according to the California Department of Water Resources.
The severe water shortage has put many residents in a difficult position.
Madeline Harris of the Justice and Accountability Leadership Council: “In Fairmead, some families are now in dire circumstances with no access to running water because their home wells have dried up and no access to emergency assistance from the state, having to use bottled water. Bathing, cooking, cleaning, washing dishes.”
Elaine Moore, Chochira resident: “Everyone is borrowing and using water from other places.”
Currently, California is providing funds to replace dry wells. For residents whose wells have dried up, regular access to bottled water and storage tanks is available from an assistance program offered by the state government.
Comprehensive report by NTDTV reporter Yan Shu
URL of this article: https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2022/10/05/a103543892.html