Water Is Life. But by ignoring the need to let rainfall refresh the soil and build up the water table, we are creating disasters all over the world through droughts and floods.
The remedy is surprisingly simple: vegetation. When the soil is hotter than the rain, because there is no vegetation, the rain carries the soil away. The soil collects at the bottom of valleys, or at the bottom of lakes and waterways. The result is desert; dead land. When the soil is cooler (because of vegetation), the rain soaks into the ground, benefiting life and creating springs.
For more information see the film Water Is Life, or read Desert or Paradise.