New Delhi: The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has released its State of Global Water Resources 2024 report, delivering a sobering assessment of the planet’s water systems amid unprecedented climate disruption. Published on September 18, 2025, the report details how global warming is driving an increasingly erratic water cycle, marked by extreme shifts between devastating floods and severe droughts. With 2024 recorded as the hottest year in 175 years of observational history, the findings highlight shrinking glaciers, imbalanced river basins, and intensifying weather events threatening billions worldwide. Compiled with contributions from global institutions such as NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), the World Glacier Monitoring Service (WGMS), the Global Runoff Data Center (GRDC), and the International Groundwater Resources Assessment Centre (IGRAC), this report serves as a critical resource for policymakers navigating the escalating water crisis.
The Water Cycle Under Siege
The water cycle, the continuous movement of water through Earth’s atmosphere, land, and oceans, is undergoing profound changes. Water is stored in various “pools,” including lakes, glaciers, groundwater, and atmospheric vapor, while “fluxes” such as evaporation and condensation facilitate its movement between these reservoirs. Climate change is disrupting this balance by accelerating evaporation due to rising global temperatures. This process increases atmospheric moisture, fueling extreme weather events like prolonged droughts, heavy rainfall, and hurricanes. Additionally, melting glaciers and the thermal expansion of ocean water are contributing to rising sea levels, heightening flood risks for coastal communities.
Stefan Uhlenbrook, director of hydrology in WMO’s water and cryosphere division, noted the growing unpredictability: “The climate changing is everything changing, and that has an impact on the water cycle dynamics.” This volatility results in annual river flows that are either excessively high or alarmingly low, challenging water management systems worldwide.
2024: Record Heat Fuels Global Water Imbalances
The report confirms 2024 as the hottest year on record, with global surface temperatures reaching 1.55°C above pre-industrial levels. Exacerbated by the El Niño phenomenon, this extreme heat triggered stark regional contrasts. Prolonged droughts parched northern South America, the Amazon Basin, and Southern Africa, while unusually wet conditions inundated Central and Western Africa, the Lake Victoria Basin, Kazakhstan, Southern Russia, Central Europe, Pakistan, and Northern India.
For the sixth consecutive year, approximately 60% of global river basins experienced abnormal water flows, with only one-third (33.3%) maintaining normal discharge levels compared to the 1991–2020 baseline. Major South American rivers, including the Amazon, Sao Francisco, Parana, and Orinoco, along with Southern African basins like the Zambezi, Limpopo, Okavango, and Orange, recorded below-normal flows. Conversely, elevated discharges in Central Europe’s Danube and Asia’s Ganges, Godavari, and Indus basins led to widespread flooding. Western African basins, such as Senegal, Niger, Lake Chad, and Volta, also faced severe inundations.
Glacier Retreat: A Global Emergency
The report documents a critical loss of glacial mass, marking the third consecutive year of universal glacier retreat across all monitored regions. In 2024, glaciers lost 450 gigatons of ice—equivalent to a 7x7x7-kilometer ice block or enough to fill 180 million Olympic-sized swimming pools. This melt contributed approximately 1.2 millimeters to global sea-level rise, increasing flood risks for millions in coastal areas.
Regions such as Scandinavia, Svalbard, and North Asia experienced significant ice mass reductions, while the Canadian Arctic and Greenland saw moderate losses. In tropical zones, Colombian glaciers diminished by 5% of their total extent. Many small-glacier regions are approaching or have surpassed the “Peak Water Point,” where annual melt runoff reaches its maximum before declining as glaciers shrink further. This trend threatens water security for communities reliant on glacial melt, amplifying drought risks in affected regions.
Extreme Weather Events Take a Heavy Toll
The erratic water cycle has fueled a surge in extreme weather events. In 2024, Africa’s tropical zone faced unusually heavy rainfall, resulting in nearly 2,500 fatalities and displacing over 4 million people. Europe experienced its most extensive flooding since 2013, with 33% of river networks exceeding high flood thresholds. Pakistan, among other nations, was devastated by severe floods, while Central Europe and parts of Asia battled deadly storms.
A striking image from the report shows an individual navigating the drought-stricken bed of Lago do Aleixo near Manaus, Brazil, on September 15, 2024, underscoring the Amazon’s dire conditions. WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo emphasized the urgency: “The world’s water resources are under growing pressure and, at the same time, more extreme water-related hazards are having an increasing impact on lives and livelihoods.”
Warming Lakes and Declining Water Quality
The report also highlights deteriorating conditions in global lakes, with nearly all of the 75 major lakes studied recording above- or much above-normal surface temperatures in July 2024. These elevated temperatures are degrading water quality, disrupting ecosystems and impacting human uses such as agriculture and drinking water supply.
A Dire Outlook: Billions Face Water Scarcity by 2050
The United Nations Water agency projects that 3.6 billion people currently experience inadequate water access for at least one month annually, a number expected to exceed 5 billion by 2050. This looming crisis underscores the need for immediate action. The WMO calls for enhanced global monitoring and data sharing, particularly in data-scarce regions like Africa, South America, and Asia. Contributions from institutions such as the German Weather Service (DWD) and the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) demonstrate the value of international collaboration in addressing these challenges.
The WMO and Its Mission
Established in 1950 and a UN specialized agency since 1951, the WMO, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, comprises 193 members (187 states and 6 territories) under the leadership of Secretary-General Celeste Saulo. The State of Global Water Resources report, published annually, provides a comprehensive assessment of freshwater availability, including streamflow, reservoirs, lakes, groundwater, soil moisture, snow cover, and ice melt. Supported by leading organizations, it equips decision-makers with critical data to foster sustainable water management.
A Global Call to Action
The 2024 report aligns with broader global challenges, including Pakistan’s historic Punjab floods impacting two million people, Iraq’s looming water collapse from drying rivers, and ongoing discussions about the ecological crisis beyond climate change. The WMO’s findings serve as a clarion call for unified action to address the accelerating water crisis. As glaciers vanish, rivers fluctuate, and extreme weather claims lives, humanity must prioritize adaptive strategies to ensure water security for future generations.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the main focus of the WMO’s State of Global Water Resources 2024 report?
The State of Global Water Resources 2024 report, released by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) on September 18, 2025, provides a comprehensive assessment of global freshwater availability, including streamflow, reservoirs, lakes, groundwater, soil moisture, snow cover, and ice melt. It highlights the increasing unpredictability of the global water cycle due to climate change, detailing extreme weather events, glacier loss, and imbalances in river basins, and offers critical data for sustainable water management.
2. How is climate change affecting the global water cycle according to the report?
Climate change is intensifying the water cycle by increasing evaporation rates due to rising global temperatures, leading to more moisture in the atmosphere. This results in extreme weather patterns, such as prolonged droughts, heavy rainfall, and hurricanes. The report notes that these changes cause erratic river flows, with about 60% of global river basins experiencing either excessive or deficient water levels in 2024, alongside glacier melt contributing to sea-level rise and coastal flooding risks.
3. What are the key findings regarding glacier loss in 2024?
The report documents the third consecutive year of universal glacier retreat, with a loss of 450 gigatons of ice in 2024—equivalent to a 7x7x7-kilometer ice block or enough to fill 180 million Olympic-sized swimming pools. This melt added 1.2 millimeters to global sea levels. Regions like Scandinavia, Svalbard, and North Asia saw significant losses, while Colombian glaciers lost 5% of their extent. Many small-glacier regions are nearing or have passed the “Peak Water Point,” threatening water supplies.
4. Which regions were most affected by extreme weather events in 2024?
The report highlights severe droughts in northern South America, the Amazon Basin, and Southern Africa, while Central and Western Africa, the Lake Victoria Basin, Kazakhstan, Southern Russia, Central Europe, Pakistan, and Northern India experienced heavy rainfall and flooding. Africa’s tropical zone saw nearly 2,500 fatalities and 4 million displaced due to heavy rains, and Europe faced its most extensive flooding since 2013, with 33% of river networks exceeding high flood thresholds.
5. What actions does the WMO recommend to address the water crisis?
The WMO emphasizes the need for enhanced global monitoring and data sharing, particularly in data-scarce regions like Africa, South America, and Asia, to better quantify water resources and manage risks from droughts, floods, and glacier loss. The report, supported by organizations like NASA, ESA, and the German Weather Service, calls for increased investment in observation networks to support sustainable water management and mitigate the escalating impacts of climate-driven water cycle disruptions.
