Violent tensions over water are on the rise all across the globe. According to the United Nations, almost half of the world population will face water scarcity by 2030. Due to the scarcity of water, wars of the future will be fought over water as they are over oil today.
But now, vast reservoirs of fresh water have been discovered underneath the ocean. This freshwater could help stave off a global water crisis and sustain future generations.
Researchers claim to have found an estimated half a million cubic kilometers of low-salinity water buried beneath the seabed on continental shelves off Australia, China, North America and South Africa.
The study was conducted by the National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training (NCGRT) and the School of the Environment at Flinders University. According to the lead author of the study, Vincent Post, “The volume of this water resource is a hundred times greater than the amount we’ve extracted from the Earth’s sub-surface in the past century since 1900.”
Scientists believe that these huge water reservoirs can be used to provide freshwater to people in need in the future. But the real challenge would be in getting to the water. Drilling is not only expensive, it can also contaminate these fresh water reserves with saltwater.
