We are currently using 3.5 times the water resources supplied by aquifers, according to new research on our global “groundwater footprint” just published in the Journal Nature.

According to the researchers, nearly 1.7 billion people live in areas where groundwater is under threat. Interestingly, it’s only a handful of aquifers contributing to the problem.

“80 per cent of aquifers have a groundwater footprint that is less than their area, meaning that the net global value is driven by a few heavily overexploited aquifers,” write the researchers.

The scary map below illustrates just how depleted those few overexploited groundwater resources are: