La Plata Basin faces severe water crisis as global river flows drop

A report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) indicates that 2025 was one of the driest years for global rivers in over three decades. More than 36% of the world's river basin surface recorded flows that were normal or significantly below normal.

The La Plata Basin, a massive system spanning approximately three million square kilometers and supporting over 100 million people, is among the major South American regions identified as having experienced flows significantly below normal levels. This basin is shared by Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

For Uruguay, the report highlights a growing threat to water security, as the country's water stability is tied to hydrological processes occurring across international borders. The WMO findings suggest an increasingly irregular water cycle characterized by alternating periods of extreme drought, heavy rainfall, and flooding.