As freshwater reserves shrink, countries must prepare for a new water reality

The world is entering a period in which abnormal water supplies are becoming the norm, with river flows, groundwater and glaciers all showing signs of sustained disruption, the UN weather agency warned on Thursday. “This is not a single bad year, but a persistent decade-long signal,” said Celeste Saulo, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), presenting the agency’s latest State of Global Water Resources report.The assessment shows that 2025 was one of the driest years for river flows worldwide in 35 years, with below-normal discharge across 36 per cent of the world’s river basin area.It was also the seventh consecutive year in which rivers with historically “normal” flows were in a clear minority, underscoring what WMO describes as an increasingly erratic and unpredictable water cycle.“Water-related extreme events continue to devastate communities and economies,” Ms. Saulo underscored.Water ‘savings account’Groundwater, glaciers, snow, soil moisture, lakes and other freshwater stored on land, act as a buffer during droughts and dry seasons. Ms. Saulo described these slower reserves as the planet’s “savings account”.Traditionally, she explained, they have ...