A new United Nations (UN) report warns that the world has entered an irreversible "global water bankruptcy era."
Regions across the globe are facing severe water challenges. Kabul is on track to become the first modern city to completely run out of water. Mexico City is sinking about 50 centimeters per year due to over-extraction of its vast aquifer. In the U.S. Southwest, states are constantly struggling to share the dwindling waters of the Colorado River, affected by prolonged drought.
The UN University report emphasizes that terms like "water crisis" or "water stress" are insufficient to capture the scale of the problem.
Kaveh Madani, Director of the UN University Institute for Water, Environment, and Health and lead author of the report, said: "Calling this a crisis implies it is temporary and solvable." He stressed the need to improve conditions while adapting to "a new reality that is more constrained than before."
Water bankruptcy occurs when humanity uses more water than nature can replenish through rain and snow. Rivers, lakes, and underground aquifers are being depleted faster than they can regenerate, and climate change–driven heat and drought worsen the problem.
THE STATISTICS SHOW THE DANGER
70% of large underground aquifers are in long-term decline.
In the past 50 years, wetlands equivalent to the size of the European Union have disappeared.
Glaciers have shrunk by 30% since 1970.
Madani warned that many regions are living beyond their "hydrological means" and that returning to previous conditions is no longer possible. Around 4 billion people experience at least one month of water scarcity each year.
The report urges a shift from emergency responses to long-term strategies, including:
Switching crops and adopting efficient irrigation in agriculture, the largest consumer of water.
Using AI and remote sensing to monitor water resources.
Reducing pollution and protecting groundwater and wetlands.
Researchers also note that water could serve as a bridge in a fragmented world, transcending political differences. Experts stress that limiting climate change is essential to ensuring sufficient water for both people and ecosystems.
