Farmers in hot, arid regions are turning to low-cost solar pumps to irrigate their fields, eliminating the need for expensive fossil fuels and boosting crop production. But by allowing them to pump throughout the day, the new technology is drying up aquifers around the globe.

Solar pumps are spreading rapidly among rural communities in many water-starved regions across India, Africa, and elsewhere. These devices can tap underground water all day long at no charge, without government scrutiny.

For now, they can be great news for farmers, with the potential to transform agriculture and improve food security. The pumps can supply water throughout the daylight hours, extending their croplands into deserts, ending their reliance on unpredictable rains, and sometimes replacing existing costly-to-operate diesel or grid-powered pumps.

But this solar-powered hydrological revolution is emptying already-stressed underground water reserves—also known as groundwaters or aquifers. The very success of solar pumps is “threatening the viability of many aquifers already at risk of running dry,” Soumya Balasubramanya, an economist at the World Bank with extensive experience of water policy, warned in January.

An innovation that initially looked capable of reducing fossil-fuel consumption while also helping farmers prosper is rapidly turning into an environmental time bomb.

  • @[email protected]
    53•8 months ago

    Maybe it’s me but the tone of the article reads to me like “the issue is solar pumps, they’re depleting groundwater reserves” whereas the point seems to be more that pumping groundwater is ungoverned and access to it is now easier than ever, thanks to solar powered pumps.

    Unfortunately, doesn’t change that the issue exists.

    • SteveOPM
      23•8 months ago

      I don’t think it’s just you. It does seem a bit pessimistic / fatalistic at first glance, especially the headline, but it’s clearly a more complicated issue once you read through. You’re right, the issue isn’t solar energy but more about being careful about how it’s put to use and the impact thereof. If anything it shows the dangers of expecting capitalism to save us and issues we run into if we try to take the easy way out. We know the issue exists now so it’s more a question of what next.

      • @[email protected]
        5•8 months ago

        It is really your classic tragedy of the commons issue that capitalism has always been bad at solving.

      • @[email protected]
        2•8 months ago

        There is no question what to do next, build solar desalination and pump it to where it’s needed using solar pumps.