World’s rivers face driest year in 30 years in 2023: UN Meteorological Agency

The UN weather agency reports that 2023 was the driest year in more than three decades for the world’s rivers, as the record year underpinned the drying of water flows and contributed to prolonged droughts in some places.

The World Meteorological Organization also says glaciers that feed rivers in many countries have suffered the biggest loss of mass in five decades, warning that melting ice could threaten long-term water security for millions of people around the world.

“Water is the canary in the coal mine of climate change. We are receiving distress signals in the form of increasingly extreme rainfall, floods and droughts, affecting lives, ecosystems and economies,” said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo, launching the report on Monday.

River level in Amazon rainforest reaches 122-year low amid drought

She said rising temperatures have in part caused the hydrologic cycle to become “more erratic and unpredictable,” in ways that can produce “either too much or too little water” through both droughts and floods.

The State of Global Water Resources 2023 report covers rivers and also lakes, reservoirs, groundwater, soil moisture, terrestrial water storage, snow cover and glaciers, as well as evaporation of water from land and plants.

The weather agency, citing figures from UN Water, says around 3.6 billion people face inadequate access to water for at least one month a year – and this figure is expected to rise to 5 billion by 2050. The WMO says that 70% of all water people draw from hydrological systems goes into agriculture.

The world faced its hottest year on record in 2023, and this summer was also the hottest ever, raising warning signs for a possible new annual record in 2024.

“In (the last) 33 years of data, we’ve never had such a large area around the world that was in such dry conditions,” said Stefan Uhlenbrook, director of hydrology, water and cryosphere at the WMO.

The report said the southern United States, Central America and the South American countries of Argentina, Brazil, Peru and Uruguay experienced widespread drought conditions and “the lowest water levels ever seen in the Amazon and Lake Titicaca.” , on the border between Peru and Bolivia.

The Mississippi River Basin also saw record low water levels, the report said. The WMO said half the world experienced dry river conditions last year.

Data for 2024 is not yet available, but Uhlenbrook said the extremely hot summer is “very likely” to translate into low river flows this year and “in many parts of the world, we expect more water scarcity “.

Low water conditions have impacted river navigation in places like Brazil and a food crisis in Zimbabwe and other parts of southern Africa this year.

The WMO called for improvements in data collection and sharing to help clarify the real picture of water resources and help countries and communities take action in response.

Photo: Part of the Negro River is dry in the port of Manaus, Amazonas state, Brazil, Friday, October 4, 2024, amid a severe drought. (AP Photo/Edmar Barros)

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