The world is entering the "era of global water bankruptcy" - United Nations University » Gazeta.kg

According to a report published by the United Nations University, the world is on the brink of an "era of global water bankruptcy" amid the ongoing depletion of groundwater, exceeding permissible limits for the distribution of water resources, as well as the degradation of land and environmental pollution.

The authors of the study emphasize that the terms "water crisis" and "water stress" no longer fully reflect the reality in several regions where there is irreversible loss of natural water capital, indicating a post-crisis state.

Not only the depletion of river and soil resources but also the reduction of snowpack have led many countries to exhaust their long-term "reserves" of water resources, including glaciers and wetlands.

These processes have caused serious consequences: land subsidence in river deltas and coastal areas, the disappearance of lakes and wetlands, as well as loss of biodiversity.

The report highlights the particularly severe situation in the Middle East and North Africa, where there is a shortage of water resources, climate change, low agricultural productivity, and sandstorms. In South Asia, the active use of groundwater in agriculture and urbanization is also leading to declining groundwater levels and soil subsidence.

Based on recent scientific research and global data, the report describes alarming trends, most of which are driven by human activity:

Since the early 1990s, 50 percent of the world's major lakes have lost significant amounts of water;

In the last 50 years, the area of lost natural wetlands has reached 410 million hectares, comparable to the territory of the European Union;

Since 1970, more than 30 percent of the world's glacial mass has been lost; some mountain systems in low and mid-latitudes may completely lose their glaciers in the coming decades;

There are many major rivers that do not reach the sea during certain seasons;

About 4 billion people experience acute water shortages for at least one month each year;

3 billion people live in areas where water supplies are declining, and it is in these regions that over 50 percent of the world's food is produced;

As of 2022–2023, 1.8 billion people lived in drought conditions.

The report emphasizes that the issue of "water bankruptcy" goes beyond hydrology, touching on social justice issues and having serious socio-political consequences, which requires attention at the highest levels of governance and international cooperation.