Solar-powered farming is threatening underground water: Farming that relies on solar-powered irrigation pumps has become widely popular in water-starved regions, largely because the pumps can help cut costs and make crop cultivation easier, according to Wired. But while the technology has gained popularity in these areas, these pumps are also causing a big long-term problem with water reserves, Wired reports.

How do they work? The pumps tap into underground water reserves (also known as aquifers) at no cost and allow farmers to keep going all day long thanks to the power of the sun.

There’s a lot of benefits: In addition to providing farmers with more water supplies to irrigate their crops — particularly those that are water-intensive — using solar-powered pumps slashes CO2 emissions compared to relying on their diesel-powered counterparts. They also provide relief from some demand on national electricity grids from non-solar pumps. Solar-powered pumps also help farmers end their reliance on rainwater for irrigation.

But these pumps are “rapidly turning into an environmental time bomb”: They’re pushing a “global threat to food security,”says researcher of sustainability of farming systems Meha Jain.These solar-powered pumps are sucking up underground water faster than it can be replenished by rainfall. Irrigation already uses up to 70% of the world’s underground water, which is more than what’s getting replaced by rain. In some locations, water levels are dropping by c. three feet or more per year, Wired explains.

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