All regions experienced water extremes in 2021: UN, According to the United Nations, there were water extremes in every corner of the world last year, including floods and droughts, and billions of people lacked access to enough freshwater. According to the UN’s World Meteorological Organization’s first annual State of Global Water Resources report, significant portions of the earth had drier than average conditions in 2021. In order to better manage the limited freshwater resources on Earth, which are also under increasing demand, the report evaluates the effects of changes in the climate, environment, and society.
All regions experienced water extremes in 2021: UN
“The impacts of climate change are often felt through water — more intense and frequent droughts, more extreme flooding, more erratic seasonal rainfall and accelerated melting of glaciers — with cascading effects on economies, ecosystems and all aspects of our daily lives,” said WMO head Petteri Taalas. “And yet there is insufficient understanding of changes in the distribution, quantity and quality of freshwater resources.”
Some 3.6 billion people face inadequate access to fresh water at least one month per year. That is forecast to rise to more than five billion by 2050, the report said. Between 2001 and 2018, 74 percent of all-natural disasters were water-related, according to UN studies. In 2021, all regions saw devastating water extremes, the report said.
There were record-breaking floods in western Europe and the Amazon, while water levels in rivers in Paraguay and southern Brazil dropped to an all-time low. The report assessed streamflow — the volume of water flowing through a river — over a 30-year period. Drops in water volumes were twice as widespread as rises. Major river basins in the Americas and central Africa saw water volumes shrink. Rivers in northern India and southern Africa saw above-average increases.
– Frozen resources –
Terrestrial water storage — all water on the land surface and in the subsurface — shrank more than it grew, the report said. Negative hotspots included Patagonia, the Ganges and Indus headwaters, and the southwestern United States. “Some of the hotspots are exacerbated by (over-extraction) of groundwater for irrigation. The melting of snow and ice also has a significant impact in several areas, including Alaska, Patagonia and the Himalayas,” the WMO said.
The cryosphere, which consists of glaciers, snow cover, ice caps, and permafrost, is the largest natural freshwater reservoir in the world, and changes to this reservoir have an impact on food production, human health, and the environment, according to the report. Around 1.9 billion people reside in regions where glaciers and snowmelt provide drinking water, but it was emphasized that these glaciers are melting more quickly than before. To lessen the effects of water extremes, it urged authorities to swiftly implement early warning systems for drought and flooding.
Know more: