Half world's largest lakes and reservoirs drying up — study tribune.net.ph - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from tribune.net.ph Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Lakes cover 3% of Earth's surface, but account for 87% of the liquid fresh water on Earth. About a quarter of the world's population lives in an area with a lake or reservoir (a body of water regulated by a dam) that is drying up. Lakes lose water not only in drylands, but also in humid regions. Policymakers are now "armed with information", says Balaji Rajagopalan, co-author of the study in the prestigious journal Science.
WASHINGTON - More than half of the world's largest lakes and reservoirs are dwindling and placing humanity's future water security at risk, with climate change and unsustainable consumption the main culprits, a study said Thursday.