The United Nations weather agency has declared global water resource management as “fragmented and inadequate,” urging nations to swiftly implement reforms, increase funding, and enhance collaboration in emergency warning systems to address an imminent crisis. In a report released on Tuesday, the agency warned that climate change is expected to intensify water-related hazards like droughts and floods, while a surge in water stress is anticipated due to escalating scarcity and population growth.
Petteri Taalas, Secretary-General of the United Nations’ World Meteorological Organization, stressed the need to acknowledge the impending water crisis. The collaborative report, titled ‘The State of Climate Services 2021: Water,’ involves the WMO, international organizations, development agencies, and scientific institutions. It predicts that the number of people with inadequate water access will surpass 5 billion by 2050, compared to 3.6 billion in 2018. The report emphasizes the necessity for increased funding and immediate measures to enhance cooperative water management, particularly highlighting the requirement for improved flood warning systems in Asia and drought warning systems in Africa.
Despite some recent advancements, the report indicates that 107 countries are falling short of the target to sustainably manage their water resources by 2030. It underscores that 60% of national meteorological and hydrological services lack the full capacities required to deliver climate services for water. According to the report, these “major gaps” in data are most pronounced in Central Asia, Africa, and among island states. The absence of coordinated information, as witnessed during Cyclone Idai in 2019 when Zimbabwe opened its dams, exacerbating flooding in Mozambique, can have fatal consequences. Taalas emphasized that better coordination could have prevented casualties, citing this as one example. The report notes that over 300,000 people have lost their lives due to floods, and more than 700,000 due to droughts and their impact on food production.