Global Rivers Drying At The Fastest Rate in 30 Years Raising Alarms for Future Water Security

River levels have been below average worldwide for the last five years

Rivers have dried up at the fastest rate in thirty years, threatening the water supply for the world, data shows in 2023.

River levels have been below average worldwide for the last five years, and water levels have also been low, per the World Meteorological Organization’s (WMO) State of Global Water Resources report.

Over 50% of river catchment areas worldwide showed unusual situations in 2023, with the majority experiencing a deficit. It was a similar situation in 2022 and 2021. Most regions in North, Central, and South America saw severe drought and poor river discharge. For example, the Amazon and Mississippi rivers saw a severely low water level. On the other hand, the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Mekong River basins in Asia and Oceania saw below-average conditions for almost every area of their basins.

Extreme droughts and floods appear to be caused by changes in the water cycle due to climate change. In addition to being the warmest year on record, which led to low river levels and droughts in several countries, 2023 also brought devasting floods globally. There is an increasing chance of a new record hit in 2024.

The change from La Niña to El Niño in mid-2023 also impacted the extremes. El Niño means the above-average sea-surface temperatures that frequently appear across the east-central equatorial Pacific, and La Niña, which describes the periodic cooling in areas of naturally occurring weather patterns. Scientists claim that due to climate change increasing, the effects of this weather are becoming increasingly unpredictable.

The Philippines, the North Island of New Zealand, and the east coast of Africa were among the regions that experienced flooding.

The amount of water flowing through rivers at a particular time is known as the discharge, and it was above average in the UK, Ireland, Finland, and Sweden.

According to Celeste Saulo, secretary general of the WMO, water is the canary in the coal mine of climate change. Increasingly severe rainfall, floods, and droughts are signals of a detrimental impact on people’s lives, ecosystems, and economies. Despite melting glaciers and ice, which affects millions of people’s long-term access to water, people are failing to respond to climate change with the proper urgency.

In the last 33 years, it would be tough to find a significant portion of the planet suffering drought, according to Stefan Uhlenbrook, WMO’s director of hydrology, water, and cryosphere.

The WMO encouraged improvements in data collection and exchange to share the current situation of the water resources so that people and countries take immediate action.

The natural cycle of water has accelerated due to the increasing temperatures. It had also become inconsistent and unpredictable. It has led to issues like having too much or too little water through droughts or floods. Heavy rains occur in an atmosphere that is warmer and stores more moisture. However, dry soil and faster evaporation have led to water scarcity in many areas.

These harsh water conditions have put the supply of water in jeopardy. UN-Water estimates that by 2050, over 5 billion people will lack access to clean water. Around 3.6 billion people are experiencing this problem currently for at least one month of the year.

Preliminary data of WMO from September 2022 to August 2023 show that glaciers performed poorly last year, losing almost 600 gigatonnes of water, the highest in the 50 years of records. There was severe melting of the European Alps and western North American mountains. Over the previous two years, the Alps in Switzerland lost over 10% of their remaining volume.

The actual condition of freshwater resources around the globe is far too poorly understood. Saulo states that the goal is to enhance assessments, data-sharing, cross-border cooperation, and monitoring. It is crucial to be aware of the problem and take immediate action.