The global population is expected to grow from more than seven billion at present to nine billion by the year 2050. As a result, resource issues are becoming increasingly severe. The questions raised in connection with natural resources are practical, but also philosophical and political. Alluvial groundwater is becoming increasingly important for the drinking water supply, but also for agriculture and other human needs. Human civilisations developed in alluviums during the Holocene. Armies, roads, trade and agglomerations largely concentrated in river valleys. Alluviums are resource...