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Humans have modified the natural behavior of rivers for longer than history is recorded. The management of water resources , protection against floods and hydropower are not new concepts. Regardless, river engineering has changed in the past century because of environmental concerns.
The concern about overexploitation, while relatively recent in the annals of modern environmental awareness, traces back to ancient practices embedded in human history. Contrary to the notion that overexploitation is an exclusively contemporary issue, the phenomenon has been documented for millennia and is not limited to human activities alone.
When groundwater is extracted from an aquifer, a cone of depression is created around the well.As the drafting of water continues, the cone increases in radius. Extracting too much water (overdrafting) can lead to negative impacts such as a drop of the water table, land subsidence, and loss of surface water reaching the streams.
Groundwater depletion is embedded in the international food trade, with countries exporting crops grown from overexploited aquifers and setting up potential future food crises if the aquifers run dry. The environmental impact of irrigation relates to the changes in quantity and quality of soil and water as a result of irrigation and the ...
The history of water supply and sanitation is one of a logistical challenge to provide clean water and sanitation systems since the dawn of civilization. Where water resources, infrastructure or sanitation systems were insufficient, diseases spread and people fell sick or died prematurely. Astronaut Jack Lousma taking a shower in space, 1974
The environmental impact of reservoirs comes under ever-increasing scrutiny as the global demand for water and energy increases and the number and size of reservoirs increases. Dams and reservoirs can be used to supply drinking water , generate hydroelectric power , increase the water supply for irrigation , provide recreational opportunities ...
Aquifer compaction is a significant concern along with pumping-induced land subsidence. A large portion of the groundwater storage potential of many aquifers can be significantly reduced when longterm groundwater extraction, and the resulting groundwater level decline, causes permanent compaction of fine sediment layers (silts and clays).
The period since 1950 has brought "the most rapid transformation of the human relationship with the natural world in the history of humankind". [106] Through 2018, humans have reduced forest area by ~30% and grasslands/shrubs by ~68%, to make way for livestock grazing and crops for humans. [107]