ABSTRACT
Since time immemorial and in many regions around the world, people have known how to abstract a substantial part – sometimes even the majority – of the water they need from underground. Wherever exploitable groundwater has been found, it has often appeared to be more voluminous and more reliable than surface water – especially in regions where surface water is scarce and has an irregular regime – and more easily accessible to larger numbers of people. These factors contribute to the special role of groundwater in the water economy.
