GNV News, October 20, 2024

According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO)’s “State of Global Water Resources” report released on October 7, 2024, global river discharge and inflow to reservoirs have been below average for five consecutive years, hitting an all-time low in 2023. Currently, 3.6 billion people face water shortages, and the number is projected to exceed 5 billion by 2050.

2023 became the hottest year on record due to both the transition from La Niña to El Niño and human-induced climate change. As a result, prolonged droughts and widespread flooding occurred, revealing a severe state of the global water cycle. River discharge declined across much of North, Central and South America, and record-low water levels were reported in the Mississippi and Amazon basins in 2023. The Ganges and Mekong basins also experienced conditions below average.

Furthermore, glaciers suffered the largest mass loss recorded in the past 50 years, with more than 600 gigatons of water lost. Overall, 50% of the world’s catchments showed anomalous conditions, and the water volumes needed for agriculture, industry, and ecosystems are being lost. Urgent action is needed to address the challenges in water resources.

Learn about drought in Southeast Asia → “The Mekong River crisis“

Learn about the water crisis in Central Asia → “Water crisis in Central Asia: Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan“

Women engaged in fishing (Photo: United Nations, Mukhopadhyay Somenath / Flickr [CC BY-NC-ND 2.0])