Global freshwater reserves face critical depletion

New reports from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and NASA indicate a critical decline in global freshwater reserves driven by climate change and human activity. Research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) reveals that the loss of freshwater is three times greater than previously estimated.

Using high-precision satellite data from the Grace and Grace-Fo missions, researchers identified 40 global hotspots where water storage variations are directly linked to human actions such as groundwater extraction for agriculture, irrigation, dam construction, and deforestation. In these regions, the net loss of water is significantly higher than gains, with water loss exceeding previous estimates by 33%.

The WMO report highlights the rapid depletion of glaciers, which lost approximately 1,400 gigatonnes of water between 2023 and 2025. Additionally, river flows are decreasing, with 36% of river basin areas showing flows below normal levels. Extreme weather events, including record-breaking droughts and floods, have been identified as primary drivers of these shifts globally.