Global water systems face “bankruptcy” as freshwater depletion outpaces natural replenishment

The world is draining its freshwater reserves at an alarming rate, pushing many regions into irreversible “water bankruptcy,” warns a sobering new report from the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH). Using a financial analogy, researchers describe Earth’s water cycle like a household budget: rivers, rainfall, and snow represent our annual “income,” while glaciers, wetlands, and underground aquifers serve as long-term “savings accounts.”

The troubling reality is that many regions have been overdrawing from both accounts for decades. According to the report, approximately 70% of major aquifers are experiencing long-term decline, while 30% of global glacier mass has vanished since the 1970s due to climate change. Some mountains in lower and mid-latitudes are expected to lose their glaciers entirely within decades, permanently cutting off water supplies to the rivers they feed.

“This report tells an uncomfortable truth: many regions are living beyond their hydrological means, and many critical water systems are already bankrupt,” stated lead author Keveh Madani. Unlike previous warnings about a looming water crisis, this research suggests we’ve moved beyond crisis into a post-crisis stage of irreversible damage. Many water systems have been overexploited for more than 50 years, and once glaciers melt completely or aquifers run dry, these resources cannot be restored within human timescales.

The authors emphasize that traditional “crisis language” no longer adequately describes the permanent transformation occurring in water systems worldwide, signaling an urgent need for fundamental changes in how humanity manages its most precious resource.