By Bunmi Yekini
A concerning statistic highlighted in the latest report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has shown that the year 2023 has been documented as the driest year for global rivers in over three decades.
This unprecedented decline in water availability underscores the critical challenges posed by climate change and an increasing global demand for water resources.
According to the WMO’s State of Global Water Resources report, the last five years have consistently shown below-normal river flow conditions, severely impacting water supplies essential for communities, agriculture, and ecosystems. “Water is the canary in the coalmine of climate change,” said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo. “We receive distress signals in the form of increasingly extreme rainfall, floods, and droughts which wreak a heavy toll on lives, ecosystems, and economies.”
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The report painted a stark picture: glaciers have experienced the largest mass loss recorded in the last 50 years, with 2023 marking the second consecutive year where all glacier regions reported ice loss. This alarming trend threatens long-term water security for millions. “As a result of rising temperatures, the hydrological cycle has accelerated,” Saulo noted. “It has also become more erratic and unpredictable, leading to problems of either too much or too little water.”
While the global temperatures reached record highs in 2023, leading to prolonged droughts, the year also saw numerous flooding incidents worldwide. This duality of extreme hydrological events was influenced by natural climate patterns such as the transition from La Niña to El Niño, alongside the pervasive impact of human-induced climate change.
The implications are dire: approximately 3.6 billion people currently lack adequate access to water for at least one month each year, a figure that is expected to rise to more than 5 billion by 2050, according to UN Water. “We cannot manage what we do not measure,” Saulo emphasized, underscoring the need for improved monitoring and data-sharing to tackle water-related hazards.
The WMO’s report indicates that over 50% of global catchment areas experienced abnormal conditions in river discharge, with regions across the Americas suffering from severe drought. The Mississippi and Amazon basins recorded historically low water levels, while Africa faced devastating floods, exemplified by the collapse of two dams in Libya that resulted in over 11,000 fatalities.
In light of these findings, the WMO calls for a concerted effort to enhance monitoring systems and data accessibility, particularly in underrepresented regions of Africa, South America, and Asia. The report aims to foster cross-border collaboration in water management, emphasizing that effective responses to water crises must be underpinned by accurate and timely data.
As Saulo concluded, “This is urgently needed. The report seeks to contribute to improved monitoring, data-sharing, and assessments that will better prepare us for the future.” The ongoing threats to global water resources demand immediate and decisive action from governments and communities worldwide to ensure a sustainable and resilient water future for all.