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A stark new report from the United Nations highlights a troubling reality for global freshwater systems: half of the world’s countries are experiencing degradation of their freshwater ecosystems. The findings, released today by UN-Water and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), underscore significant declines in river flow, shrinking lakes, increasing pollution, and inadequate water management practices.

The reports, part of a triennial series assessing progress towards the Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6)—which aims to ensure clean water and sanitation for all—reveal a crisis in global water health. This is driven by a combination of factors, including pollution, dam construction, land conversion, over-extraction, and climate change.

Alarming Trends Across Continents

According to the data, 90 countries, predominantly in Africa, Central Asia, and Southeast Asia, are facing severe degradation of one or more freshwater ecosystems. Conversely, regions such as Oceania have shown improvements. The report highlights a fivefold increase in the number of river basins experiencing decreased flow since 2000, now impacting 402 basins worldwide. Additionally, the loss of mangroves—vital for coastal protection and carbon sequestration—continues to pose risks, with Southeast Asia particularly affected.

The situation is dire for lakes and other surface water bodies, with 364 basins seeing a reduction or complete loss of these critical resources. High levels of pollutants, often from agricultural and urban runoff, contribute to algal blooms and reduced oxygen levels in these bodies of water.

Despite some regions benefiting from the construction of reservoirs, which has led to a net gain in permanent water sources in North America, Europe, and parts of Asia, the overall trend remains concerning.

Data Deficiency and Management Challenges

One of the most pressing issues identified is the inadequate monitoring of water quality. The poorest half of the world contributes less than 3 percent of global water quality data, including a mere 4,500 lake measurements out of nearly 250,000. This significant data gap means that by 2030, over half of humanity could be living in countries with insufficient data to manage water quality effectively.

The report emphasizes the need for expanded and routine government-funded monitoring programs, enhanced citizen science initiatives, and the use of satellite-based Earth observation to address this shortfall.

Inadequate Progress on Water Management

The report also highlights shortcomings in the implementation of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM). While 47 countries are on track or nearly on track with IWRM, 63 need to accelerate their efforts, and 73 countries have only limited IWRM capacity. At the current pace, the global community will only achieve sustainable water management by 2049, leaving over 3.3 billion people in more than 100 countries facing ineffective water governance frameworks by 2030.

The UN-Water and UNEP reports call for increased financing, investment in infrastructure, better management practices, and enhanced institutional capacities to address these challenges. They stress that protective and restorative policies, tailored to specific regional needs, are essential for reversing current degradation trends.