Netherlands, in the rural area around Renswoude village (province Utrecht) a farmer is pumping up groundwater to irrigate his field.
Netherlands, in the rural area around Renswoude village (province Utrecht) a farmer is pumping up groundwater to irrigate his field. Use of groundwater has related environmental issues. For example, polluted groundwater is less visible and more difficult to clean up than pollution in rivers and lakes. Groundwater pollution most often results from improper disposal of wastes on land. Major sources include industrial and household chemicals and garbage landfills, excessive fertilizers and pesticides used in agriculture, industrial waste lagoons, tailings and process wastewater from mines, industrial fracking, oil field brine pits, leaking underground oil storage tanks and pipelines, sewage sludge and septic systems. Additionally, groundwater is susceptible to saltwater intrusion in coastal areas and can cause land subsidence when extracted unsustainably, leading to sinking cities (like Bangkok)) and loss in elevation (such as the multiple meters lost in the Central Valley of California). These issues are made more complicated by sea level rise and other changes caused by climate changes which will change precipitation and water scarcity globally.
Size: 5184px × 3888px
Photo credit: © Ron Giling / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: agriculture, drought, dry, europe, farm, field, groundwater, irrigate, irrigation, motor, netherlands, pump, pumping, spray, spraying, tractor, water
