Last year, the world’s rivers experienced their driest year in three decades

River flows around the world fell to record lows last year amid record heat, threatening water supplies at a time of growing demand, according to a report by the United Nations’ weather agency, Al Jazeera reported.

According to a World Meteorological Organization (WMO) report on the state of global water resources published on Monday, “global water supplies are under severe pressure, with five consecutive years of below-normal river flows and – into reservoirs”.

A prolonged drought reduced river flows in much of North, Central and South America, but the Mississippi and Amazon river basins reported low water levels in 2023, according to the report, which used data from a 33-year period.

Water levels in the Ganges and Mekong river basins were also below average, the report said. In total, 50 percent of the world’s catchment areas had abnormal conditions, with most of them suffering from water shortages and less water available for agriculture and industry.

“Water is becoming the most visible indicator of our climate woes, yet we as a global community are not taking steps to protect these reserves,” said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo. to reporters at a press conference in Geneva.

She warned that climate change is making the water cycle more vulnerable and called for more hydrological monitoring to detect and respond to changes.

The weather agency, citing UN-Water data, says that around 3.6 billion people face inadequate access to water for at least one month of the year, a figure expected to increase to 5 billion by 2050.