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World’s Water Cycle Becoming More Unpredictable, UN Warns

The agency warned that declining groundwater, glaciers and other slow-moving water reserves are reducing the planet’s natural supply buffers.

,   and  TIPP Staff
2 min read
World's Water Cycle Becoming More Unpredictable, UN Warns. Pic via(@aawsat_eng)

The world’s water cycle is becoming increasingly unpredictable, with 2025 ranking among the driest years for global rivers in more than three decades, according to the World Meteorological Organization.

The agency warned that declining groundwater, glaciers and other slow-moving water reserves are reducing the planet’s natural supply buffers.

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WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said the world is effectively drawing down its water “savings account” as these reserves continue to shrink. Glacier losses reached about 1,400 gigatonnes between 2023 and 2025, equivalent to the water contained in roughly 560 million Olympic-sized swimming pools.

Nearly two-thirds of monitored wells also recorded groundwater levels outside historical ranges.

At the same time, intense monsoon rainfall and tropical cyclones caused widespread flooding across South and Southeast Asia in 2025, contributing to as many as 3,600 deaths.

The WMO is urging countries to improve shared water data and early-warning systems. Saulo stressed that water crosses national borders, meaning droughts, floods and glacier-related disasters can create consequences far beyond the countries where they begin.

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