The Global Water Crisis with Groundwater at its Core

One of the most immediate threats to our society’s future is the disappearance of freshwater. By 2050 three out of four people world wide could face drought impacts (UNU-INWEH, 2024). While global policy bureaucracies agree that the global water crisis is worsening, they do not account for one key issue: the water crisis is a groundwater crisis. Groundwater makes up 99% of all liquid fresh water and at times of drought, groundwater is the only fresh water available in many regions. Groundwater supports nearly 50% of the global population's drinking water and 70% of food production. We need more highly skilled groundwater scientists (hydrogeologists) to solve the water crisis. However, the numbers of graduating hydrogeologists globally are declining at a time when the need has never been greater. The Groundwater Project (GW-Project) was initiated to help reverse this trajectory and provide high-quality education, free-of-charge, in many languages to everyone globally. This knowledge is already being used by universities to start and strengthen hydrogeology programs and address critical water issues in both developed and developing countries.

The GW-Project and UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

By supporting the work of the GW-Project, your firm shows that they are positively contributing to the SDGs. Groundwater directly supports 8 of the 17 SDGs and underpins most. Effective groundwater management ensures clean water and sanitation (SDG 6), providing a reliable source of drinking water and supporting sanitation systems. It supports farming and agriculture, contributing to zero hunger, promoting good health, and reducing poverty (SDG 1, 2 and 3) by providing a reliable source of potable water for human consumption, livestock, and irrigating crops. A sustainable and resilient groundwater resource supports economic growth (SDG 8) and sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11). It sustains ecosystems and biodiversity (SDG 15) and helps climate action (SDG 13), maintaining water cycles and reducing the impacts of droughts. Proper groundwater resource management is essential for sustainable development, made possible by providing adequate resources for raising stakeholder awareness and ensuring specialist knowledge for practitioners. The GW-Project contributes by expanding human capacity to address these challenges.

Our Accomplishments & Vision Expansion

In the 5 years since book publication began, the GW-Project has positioned itself as a global leader providing free high-quality, groundwater education to readers in every country globally. Education is provided for children, university students, scientists, practitioners, and members of the public. The need is evident given the usage of project materials since its inception in August 2020. This global engagement is a testament to the need for such knowledge.

• 64 original and 35 preserved books published

• 27 additional books near publication and 200 more being written

• 94 book translations published & 194 translations underway (59 languages covered)

• 5 interactive learning tools and 2 learning modules released (more in progress)

• Over 50 high quality educational short groundwater videos (more on the way)

• Books downloaded in every country globally with over 3 million readings.