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Record Droughts Threaten the World’s Rivers
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Record Droughts Across the World’s Rivers
A new assessment released by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) finds that 2025 was one of the driest years for global rivers in more than three decades. The study shows that only about a third of rivers maintained normal flow, while 36 % of river-basin area experienced below- or well-below-normal flows and 21 % saw above-normal levels. The findings coincide with the launch of the Guardian’s “Our Rivers” project, which will examine river health over the coming year.
Causes and Declining Water Storage
The WMO attributes the extreme variability to climate-change-driven weather whiplash, including melting glaciers, shifting rain patterns and intensified heat. Terrestrial water storage—encompassing groundwater, lakes, rivers, snow, ice and plant moisture—was 42 % below normal worldwide in 2025. The report links these trends to a persistent decline in global water savings since the mid-2010s.
Extent of the Decline
- Normal-flow rivers: roughly 34-38 % of basins in 2025, compared with a 46 % average for 1991-2020.
- Below-normal flows affected major basins such as the Amazon, La Plata, North America, central and east Africa, central Asia and the Middle East.
- Ice-mass loss in the 19 major glacial regions reached 400 gigatons in 2025, contributing about 1.1 mm to sea-level rise.
Official Responses
Celeste Saulo, secretary-general of the WMO, called the situation “a call to action” and urged greater data collection and sharing to protect people’s lives and wellbeing. Both officials stress that the declining trends demand coordinated international monitoring and mitigation.
Verbatim Quotes
- “We are depleting that savings account. Global terrestrial water storage has shown a declining trend since 2014–16 – a persistent, decade-long signal.” — Celeste Saulo, secretary general of the WMO