WMO warns of continued deterioration in global freshwater resources

15:31

By: Azzat Manal Azzat Manal

WMO warns of continued deterioration in global freshwater resources

Global freshwater resources continued to face growing pressure in 2025, with river flows, inland water reserves and glaciers showing signs of persistent disruption, according to the latest report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

The annual assessment points to an increasingly unstable global water cycle, marked by prolonged dry conditions in some regions and intense rainfall and flooding in others. The report places 2025 among the driest years recorded over the past 35 years in terms of river discharge, highlighting the growing difficulty of predicting and managing water availability.

River flows have remained outside their normal range for seven consecutive years. The proportion of river basins considered to have normal conditions stood between 34% and 38% during this period, well below the 46% average recorded between 1991 and 2020.

In 2025, river flows were below their usual levels across more than 36% of the world's river basin areas. The findings are based on simulations using 13 hydrological models combined with meteorological observations.

The pressure is also affecting inland water reserves, which include groundwater, lakes, rivers, soil moisture, vegetation, snow and glaciers. These reserves have been declining since the middle of the 2010s, according to the WMO assessment.

Around two-thirds of monitored wells worldwide recorded water levels that differed significantly from their historical norms in 2025. The overall trend continued to point toward water deficits rather than a broad recovery from the previous year.

Glaciers provide another clear indicator of the changing water cycle. For a fourth consecutive year, all major glacier regions recorded a loss of mass. Between 2023 and 2025, cumulative glacier losses amounted to approximately 1,400 gigatonnes of water, illustrating the scale of the changes taking place in mountain and polar environments.

Glacier melt can have different consequences over time. Accelerated melting may temporarily increase water availability and raise the risk of flooding in some areas, while the long-term reduction in glacier reserves can threaten water supplies for communities that depend on seasonal meltwater.

The report also highlights the continued recurrence of extreme hydrological events. Over the past five years, national meteorological and hydrological services have reported record or exceptional droughts and floods every year. In some areas, communities and ecosystems have had little time to recover before facing another extreme event.

Asia and Africa remain particularly exposed to these water-related hazards. Together, the two regions accounted for at least half of the extreme events recorded during the five-year period and more than 80% of the associated deaths. At the same time, significant gaps remain in hydrological monitoring and data collection across parts of both continents.

The WMO has stressed the importance of international cooperation, particularly because rivers, groundwater systems and other water resources frequently cross national borders. Better data sharing, common standards and more effective early-warning systems are considered essential to improving preparedness.

The increasingly irregular nature of the global water cycle is also creating challenges for agriculture, drinking-water supplies, energy production and infrastructure planning. The combination of water shortages and sudden excesses makes long-term resource management more difficult for governments and local authorities.

The WMO's assessment underscores that freshwater security is no longer solely a local or national concern. Changes in precipitation, river flows, groundwater, snow and glaciers are interconnected across regions, making improved scientific monitoring and international coordination increasingly important for managing the world's water resources.