North India is contributing 5% to the total rise in sea levels due to excessive pumping out of ground water, according to a study.
In this 2000 km long stretch, 54 trillion litres of ground water are extracted every year. This is the largest rate of groundwater loss in a comparable-sized region on earth, and is likely to cause serious concern over future water availability in the region.
This water eventually reaches the sea through rainfall or runoff from the land, leading to 0.16mm rise in sea level. This is roughly equivalent to the rise due to melting Alaskan glaciers.
A study should also be done on the amount of water that is being prevented from reaching the sea due to diversion of river waters for irrigation, drinking etc. There may well be no net rise in sea level!
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