The global water cycle is becoming increasingly erratic, staggering between drought and floods with serious consequences for societies and economies, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warned in its report in the State of World Water Resources 2024 published on Thursday.
The study found that only one third of the river basins worldwide experienced “normal” conditions last year, with the rest above or below the average, marking the sixth consecutive year of imbalance.
He also reported the third consecutive year of generalized loss of glaciers, with 450 ice gigatons disappearing, raising the worldwide sea in 1.2 millimeters in a single year.
Pakistan between more humid regions of normal
While the severe drought seized the Amazon Basin, parts of South America and Southern Africa, the report said Pakistan experienced more humid conditions than the average in 2024.
He added that the river discharge in the Indo basin swollen above normal levels, along with other important systems, such as Danube, Ganges and Godavari.
Pakistan, already vulnerable to the ends linked to the weather, remains exposed to both floods and water scarcity. The country experienced catastrophic floods in 2022, followed by irregular monzón patterns, and continues to face challenges in the management of water resources amid a rapid melting of the glacier in the Himalayas.
Global Risks in Cascade
The OMM general secretary, Celeste Saulo, said that the world’s water resources are under “growing pressure,” with increasingly harmful extremes.
“Reliable information based on science is more important than ever because we cannot manage what we do not measure,” he emphasized, urging a greater investment in monitoring and data exchange.
The report highlighted an extensive flood in Western Africa, the high river discharge in Central Europe and Asia, and persistent drought in key basins from South America and Africa.
Almost all monitored lakes recorded higher summer surface surface temperatures, increasing water quality concerns. Groundwater monitoring showed only 38% of wells at normal levels, and many suffer from exhaustion due to excessive excess.
With 3.6 billion people who already face the shortage of water for at least one month every year, a figure that is planned to exceed 5 billion by 2050, the OMM warned that the world is far from achieving the objective of sustainable development 6 in water and sanitation.
“The risks are increasing,” said Saul, pointing out the combination of climate driven by the child, a global heat record in 2024 and accelerating the loss of glaciers. “Without better data and collaboration, we run the risk of blinding.”
