UN Warns of Worsening Global Water Cycle Irregularity Due to Climate Change
Kathmandu. The United Nations has stated that the global water cycle is becoming increasingly irregular, with conditions of excessive water in some places and severe scarcity in others. A report released by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) on Thursday mentioned that the imbalance in water availability and flow is increasing due to climate change and warned that risks may further escalate in the coming days.
According to the WMO, 2025 was one of the driest years for rivers globally in over three decades. Last year, glaciers shrunk in all regions of the world, and groundwater levels have been continuously decreasing in many places. The report indicated that the decline in Earth’s freshwater storage, observed for decades, is also continuing.
WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo stated that the depletion of long-term water reserves like groundwater and glaciers is a matter of particular concern. According to her, these reserves used to act as a ‘savings account’ preventing water scarcity from immediately turning into a crisis during droughts or dry seasons. “Now we are emptying that savings account, we are spending our water reserves,” she said.
In 2025, glaciers lost a significant amount of ice for the fourth consecutive year in all regions of the world. It is estimated that glaciers have lost a mass equivalent to about 1,400 gigatons of water from 2023 to 2025. Saulo mentioned that in about two-thirds of the monitored wells worldwide, the situation in 2025 differed from historical conditions.
Meanwhile, she warned that the potential impact of El Niño could further increase water-related risks. Expecting the development of the most powerful El Niño in nearly four decades, she stated that it would increase the risk of drought in some areas and floods in others.
According to the WMO, the flow of water in rivers worldwide had become abnormal even before the effects of El Niño became apparent. 2025 was one of the three driest years for rivers in the last 35 years. For the seventh consecutive year, the number of river basins with normal river flow worldwide remained in the minority.
According to the report, only about 36 percent of river basins showed normal flow, with a similar proportion showing below-normal flow and 21 percent showing above-normal flow. The WMO stated that higher quality data and cooperation between countries are necessary to understand the state of the water cycle and forecast risks.
Saulo said that since the water cycle does not recognize political boundaries, common data, standards, and early warning systems are essential. She mentioned that disasters related to glaciers in one country can cause significant damage in another, citing recent incidents in China and Nepal as examples.