According to the United Nations meteorological agency, 2023 marked the driest year for rivers worldwide in over three decades, contributing to prolonged droughts in various regions. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) reported that glaciers feeding rivers in numerous countries experienced the greatest mass loss in the last fifty years, raising concerns about long-term water security for millions globally.
WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo emphasized that water serves as a warning indicator of climate change, with increasingly extreme weather patterns resulting in floods and droughts that severely impact lives, ecosystems, and economies. The rising temperatures have led to a more erratic and unpredictable hydrological cycle, causing either excessive or insufficient water.
The WMO revealed that approximately 3.6 billion people face inadequate access to water for at least one month each year, a figure projected to rise to 5 billion by 2050. In 2023, the world recorded its hottest year on record, with the Northern Hemisphere summer being the hottest ever documented, posing risks for potential new annual records in 2024.
Stefan Uhlenbrook, WMO's Director of Hydrology, Water, and Cryosphere, noted that never before in the past 33 years had such a vast area experienced such dry conditions. The report highlighted widespread drought conditions in the southern United States, Central America, and South American countries like Argentina, Peru, and Uruguay, with the lowest recorded water levels in the Amazon and Lake Titicaca.
Furthermore, the Mississippi River basin also experienced record low flows. Half of the world faced low river flow conditions last year, according to the WMO. Although 2024 data is not yet available, Uhlenbrook indicated that the extremely hot summer in the Northern Hemisphere is likely to result in low flows this year, leading to further water scarcity in many regions.
This reduction in available water has impacted river navigation in places like Brazil and has contributed to a food crisis in Zimbabwe and other parts of Southern Africa. The WMO has called for improvements in data collection and sharing to clarify the actual state of water resources and assist countries and populations in taking appropriate measures.