The year 2024 marked the sixth consecutive year of unstable hydrological cycles and was also the warmest year in 175 years of observations, according to the Global Water Resources Status Report 2024 published by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
The past year was defined by record-breaking heat, climate extremes, and widespread water-related impacts. According to the report, both excessive and insufficient water supplies triggered a series of cascading consequences. Extremes were observed throughout the entire water cycle: rivers, reservoirs, lakes, groundwater, and glaciers all showed significant deviations from long-term averages.
All glacial regions worldwide reported ice loss in 2024. Many small glaciers have already reached or are close to reaching “peak water” – the moment when glacier meltwater is at its maximum before declining due to the shrinking size of the glaciers.
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It was also the hottest year on record, with the onset of an El Niño event that influenced major river basins, contributing to droughts in northern South America, the Amazon basin, and southern Africa.
Over the past six years, only one-third of the world’s river basin areas experienced normal flow conditions compared to the 1991–2020 average. This means two-thirds had either too much or too little water, reflecting the increasingly unpredictable nature of the hydrological cycle.
According to UN Water data, an estimated 3.6 billion people already face inadequate access to water for at least one month each year. That number is expected to rise to over five billion by 2050.
The consequences of these shortages, particularly in the context of extreme hydrological events, underscore the urgent need for improved monitoring, early warning systems, and adaptive water management strategies.
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