Climate Crisis: 2023 marks the driest for global rivers in 33 years, says WMO

According to the World Meteorological Organization, 2023 has been marked as the driest year for the global rivers in the past 33 years, highlighting the growing impact of the climate crisis. The glaciers have also suffered the largest mass loss in 50 years. 

A report released by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) on the State of Global Water Resources suggests that climate change makes the hydrological cycle unpredictable. The last five years have seen below-normal river flows and reservoir inflows, impacting water supplies for people, agriculture, and ecosystems.

WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said water is the early warning sign for the changing climate. She further said, “Water is the canary in the coal mine of climate change. Due to the changing environment, signals like increasing extreme rainfall, floods, and sometimes drought are visible which wreak havoc on lives, ecosystems, and economies. 

There is a threatening situation for millions of people with this changing condition of glaciers that can cause water scarcity in the future. Above all these people are not taking necessary steps to counter the worsening effect of climate change, said Saulo in a VMO release. 

The year 2023 was also recorded as the hottest year with the heat contributing to prolonged droughts along with floods. 

According to WMO, this extreme weather is the result of the transition between two climate phenomena called La Niña and El Niño. 

Africa has seen the largest number of human casualties due to extreme weather conditions. In September 2023, two dams collapsed during a major flood, resulting in over 11,000 deaths and impacting 22% of the population in Libya. The floods also affected the Greater Horn of Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Mozambique, and Malawi.

At the same time, severe droughts hit the southern USA, Central America, Argentina, Uruguay, Peru, and Brazil. In Argentina, this caused a 3% loss in GDP, and the water levels in the Amazon and Lake Titicaca reached record lows.

Extreme heat can cause heavy rainfall. When the atmosphere gets warmer, it can hold more moisture. This leads to more evaporation and drying of the soil, which can worsen drought conditions noted Saulo.

Despite numerous projects aimed at improving water access for households, nearly 3.6 billion people still experience inadequate access to water at least once a year. A project has been made to raise this access to over 5 billion by 2050, according to the WMO.

“Not much is known about the world’s freshwater resources. If we don’t measure them, we can’t manage them,” said Saulo. The IMO chief emphasised that the report aims to improve monitoring, data-sharing, a collaboration between countries, and assessments, which are urgently needed.

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