A UN report declares a state of global water bankruptcy, citing depleted rivers, lakes and aquifers beyond natural recovery due to overuse and climate change.
PARIS: The world is entering an era of “global water bankruptcy”, a United Nations research institute has declared.
A new report from the UN University Institute for Water, Environment and Health states that rivers, lakes and aquifers are depleting faster than nature can replenish them.
It argues that decades of overuse, pollution and climate pressure have pushed many water systems beyond recovery.
“Water stress and water crisis are no longer sufficient descriptions of the world’s new water realities,” the report reads.
The institute proposes the term “water bankruptcy” to describe this new phase where long-term water use exceeds resupply.
This state is reflected in the shrinking of the world’s large lakes and major rivers failing to reach the sea for parts of the year.
The world has lost roughly 410 million hectares of wetlands over the past five decades, an area nearly the size of the European Union.
Groundwater depletion is another key sign, with around 70% of major aquifers showing long-term declines.
Climate change is compounding the problem, spurring the loss of over 30% of the world’s glacier mass since 1970.
UNU-INWEH director and report author Kaveh Madani said the phenomenon is a “warning” that a policy rethink is essential.
Governments must “be honest” and “file for bankruptcy today rather than delaying this decision”, he told AFP.
“Let’s adopt this framework. Let’s understand this. Let us recognise this bitter reality today before we cause more irreversible damages,” Madani added.
The report draws on existing data to redefine the global water situation, rather than provide an exhaustive record.
It is based on a peer-reviewed report soon to be published in the journal Water Resources Management.
Tim Wainwright, chief executive of the WaterAid charity, said the report “captures a hard truth: the world’s water crisis has crossed a point of no return”.
Some scientists welcomed the spotlight but warned a blanket declaration might overlook local progress.
