According to the reports, 90 countries – predominantly in Africa, Central Asia, and Southeast Asia – are experiencing significant degradation of their freshwater ecosystems. In contrast, some regions, such as Oceania, are seeing improvements.
A new set of reports from UN-Water and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has revealed alarming levels of degradation in freshwater systems across the globe. The comprehensive triennial reports highlight that half of the world’s nations are grappling with the decline of various freshwater ecosystems, including rivers, lakes, and aquifers. This degradation is marked by reduced river flow, shrinking surface water bodies, increasing water pollution, and inadequate water management.
The reports, which draw on the largest data sets ever compiled, underscore the urgent need for enhanced global action to meet the United Nations’ goal of “clean water and sanitation for all” (SDG 6). Despite high political commitment to sustainable water management, including recent resolutions at the UN Environment Assembly, there is a significant gap between these commitments and the necessary financial and practical actions required to address the crisis.
Dianna Kopansky, Head of the Freshwater and Wetlands Unit at UNEP, emphasized the severity of the situation. “Our blue planet is rapidly losing its healthy freshwater bodies, with serious implications for food security, climate change, and biodiversity. While global political commitments have risen, they are not matched by the necessary financial investments or action. We need more effective protection and restoration policies tailored to different regions to halt and reverse this trend,” Kopansky stated.
Widespread Degradation
According to the reports, 90 countries – predominantly in Africa, Central Asia, and Southeast Asia – are experiencing significant degradation of their freshwater ecosystems. In contrast, some regions, such as Oceania, are seeing improvements. The primary drivers of this degradation include pollution, dam construction, land conversion, over-extraction of water, and the impacts of climate change.
River flow has diminished in 402 basins worldwide, a dramatic increase compared to the five-fold rise since 2000. Conversely, only a few basins are experiencing increased river flow. Additionally, mangrove forests, vital for coastal protection and carbon sequestration, have suffered extensive loss due to human activities such as agriculture and aquaculture, particularly in Southeast Asia. Although the rate of mangrove deforestation has slowed in the past decade, the remaining mangroves continue to face threats.
Surface water bodies, including lakes, are also shrinking or disappearing in 364 basins globally. High levels of pollutants and nutrients in many large lakes lead to harmful algal blooms and hypoxic conditions, exacerbated by land clearance and urbanization.
Despite these challenges, the construction of reservoirs has led to a global increase in permanent water sources, particularly in North America, Europe, and Asia.
Need for Improved Monitoring
The reports highlight a significant gap in water quality monitoring. The poorest half of the world contributes less than 3 percent of global water quality data, including only 4,500 lake quality measurements out of nearly 250,000. This lack of data is a critical issue, as inadequate water quality information hinders effective management of drought, floods, wastewater, and agricultural runoff. Without substantial improvements in monitoring capacity, over half of humanity is expected to live in countries with insufficient water quality data by 2030.
To address this gap, the reports recommend expanding government-funded monitoring programs, incorporating citizen science, and leveraging satellite-based Earth observation technologies. These measures could help fill the data void and improve water resource management.
Challenges in Water Resources Management
The reports also reveal inadequate progress in implementing Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) across over 100 countries. IWRM is essential for balancing competing water needs from society and the economy and must be implemented across sectors and borders by 2030.
Currently, 47 countries have either fully or nearly achieved IWRM, while 63 countries need to accelerate their efforts. The remaining 73 countries exhibit only limited capacity for IWRM. At the current pace, sustainable water management will not be achieved until 2049, leaving at least 3.3 billion people in over 100 countries with ineffective governance frameworks for water management by 2030.
To overcome these challenges, the reports advocate for unlocking financing through revenue-raising and cost-recovery mechanisms, investing in infrastructure and management, and fostering coordinated actions and improved institutional capacity.
