According to the United Nations meteorological agency, 2023 was the driest year for rivers worldwide in over thirty years. This unprecedented reduction in water flow, coinciding with record heat, has contributed to prolonged droughts in various regions.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) reported that glaciers feeding rivers in many countries experienced the greatest mass loss in the last fifty years, warning that melting ice could threaten the water security of millions globally in the long term.
WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo stated, "Water is the canary in the coal mine of climate change. We are receiving warning signals in the form of increasingly extreme rains, floods, and droughts that are taking a heavy toll on lives, ecosystems, and economies." The rising temperatures have made the hydrological cycle "more erratic and unpredictable," leading to either excessive or insufficient water, resulting in floods and droughts.
The global water crisis is escalating, with approximately 3.6 billion people facing inadequate access to water for at least one month each year, a number projected to rise to 5 billion by 2050, according to the WMO, citing figures from the UN Water Mechanism.
2023 was recorded as the hottest year on record, with the Northern Hemisphere summer being the warmest ever documented, raising concerns about a potential new annual record in 2024.
Stefan Uhlenbrook, WMO's director of hydrology, water, and cryosphere, stated, "In the last 33 years of data, we have never had such a large area of the world experiencing such dry conditions." The report highlighted widespread drought conditions in the southern United States, Central America, and South American countries such as Argentina, Peru, and Uruguay, with the lowest water levels recorded in the Amazon and Lake Titicaca, located on the Peru-Bolivia border.
The Mississippi River basin also experienced record low flow levels, with half of the world facing low river flow conditions last year, according to the WMO.
While data for 2024 is not yet available, Uhlenbrook indicated that the extremely hot summer in the Northern Hemisphere is likely to result in low water flows this year, with expectations of further water scarcity in many regions.
The 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 this year.
The WMO has called for improvements in data collection and sharing to clarify the real situation of water resources and assist countries and populations in taking appropriate measures.