UN warned about the acceleration of the global water crisis, natural reserves are shrinking
The global water cycle is becoming increasingly unpredictable, and natural fresh water reserves continue to shrink. In 2025, the world's rivers experienced one of the driest periods in the last 35 years, according to a new report by the World Meteorological Organization of the UN.
According to WMO, below-normal river flow in 2025 was observed in 36% of the area of global river basins. About the same share of basins had normal water levels, while 21% showed above-normal flow. For the seventh consecutive year, basins with normal conditions remain in the minority.
For comparison, in the baseline period 1991-2020, normal flow was observed on average in about 46% of basins. Over the last seven years, this indicator has fluctuated only within 34-38%, which indicates a persistent shift of the water cycle away from historical norms.
The problem is not limited to rivers. WMO records a long-term decline in so-called terrestrial water storage - water stored in soil, underground aquifers, lakes, rivers, snow and glaciers. The downward trend has continued approximately since the mid-2010s.
Particular concern is caused by reserves that recover slowly. WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo compared groundwater, glaciers and seasonal snow cover to a natural "savings account", which previously allowed surviving individual dry years without the situation immediately turning into a water crisis.
In 2025, almost two-thirds of the world's monitored groundwater wells showed levels outside historical norms. Moreover, the balance shifted even further toward deficit compared to 2024.
Water reserves in glaciers are also shrinking rapidly. 2025 became the fourth year in a row when ice losses were recorded in all major glacier regions of the world. In 2023-2025, glaciers lost a total of about 1400 gigatons of water - that is approximately one-third of the fresh water volume that humanity withdraws in one year.
Such changes carry risks not only for drinking water supply. Fluctuations between droughts and excess water affect crops, electricity generation, industry, transport and municipal infrastructure, and also increase damages from floods and droughts.
Over the past five years, countries reported record floods and droughts to WMO every year. Asia and Africa accounted for at least half of the recorded water-related extreme events, and over 80% of the reported deaths from them.
WMO expects that the strengthening of El Niño will further increase the risk of droughts in some regions and floods in others. The organization calls on countries to expand hydrological monitoring, share data on transboundary rivers, and improve early warning systems.
Based on materials from: World Meteorological Organization, The Straits Times
