The global water cycle is spinning out of balance, creating a world of extremes where some regions drown in floods while others face severe scarcity. According to a recent report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), climate change is disrupting the natural flow of water, making 2025 one of the driest years for global rivers in more than three decades.
WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo has raised the alarm over the depletion of long-term water reserves, such as glaciers and groundwater. Comparing these resources to a “savings account” that protects us during droughts, she warned that we are now spending those savings at an unsustainable rate. Between 2023 and 2025, glaciers worldwide lost approximately 1,400 gigatonnes of ice, marking a significant loss of freshwater storage.
The data shows that only 36% of monitored river basins maintained normal flow levels, with the rest suffering from either excess or deficit. Natural phenomena like El Niño are further complicating the situation, increasing the frequency of disasters. Because water cycles ignore political boundaries, the WMO is calling for enhanced international cooperation and shared early warning systems to manage trans-border risks, such as the glacial disasters recently affecting China and Nepal.