Water

On September 26th, following nearly 48 hours of continuous heavy rainfall, Bangkok was officially designated a disaster-affected zone following severe meteorological disruptions driven by an active low-pressure cell stalled across central Thailand.

River models have long been used to estimate water in hard-to-reach or remote areas. New study from UMass Amherst shows the math can be off—way off.

An interpretable model is one that can be verified, discussed, and challenged. This is the prerequisite for AI to become a legitimate tool in water management.

With floods and contamination overwhelming Kathmandu’s water systems, communities are restoring traditional stone spouts that once served as the valley’s primary water source.

Team at Utrecht University developed a method to classify groundwater systems based on their ability to recover from long drought to better determine how groundwater systems recover after a drought and which groundwater reserves are most vulnerable.

This research article assesses eight water stressors across Africa using exposure and vulnerability data. It finds WASH-service risks affect the largest populations and calls for stronger transboundary cooperation and improved data systems.

Heavy rainfall can cause spikes in bacterial pollution in bathing waters due to overflows from combined sewer systems (CSOs). Researchers can now track the spread of bacteria from sewer system to coastal waters, enabling prediction of pollution risks.

Peru built world-renowned defenses against glacial floods, before decentralisation and financial austerity caused them to crumble. After an era of impressive progress on preventative measures, hundreds of Peru’s glacial lakes are now at risk of bursting

This white paper analyzes the growing compound risks of heat and water stress using climate models, industry data, and case studies, urging forward-looking risk integration and investment in water efficiency amid rising global wet-bulb temperatures.

As Western United States grapples with severe drought, leading cities to scramble for water and farmers to abandon some crops, a new study has found that 122 major oil, gas, coal, and cement companies and state-owned operations are partially responsible.

1 in 3 Navajo need to haul-in water from another place due to the lack of proper infrastructure in the midst of a drought. Hope is on the horizon, as the local government and nonprofit organizations have invested in proper water supply projects.

British Columbia’s droughts are becoming more severe and persistent. Researchers say the province must move beyond reactive water management and strengthen drought resilience through governance reform, water conservation and watershed planning.

This study presents a novel five-step ensemble machine learning approach to improve predictive accuracy in assessing climate change impacts on inflow patterns and hydropower generation across seven dam basins in West Africa.

The WMO State of Global Water Resources Report shows that the water cycle has become more erratic and unpredictable, swinging between too little or too much. The past seven years have seen the fewest rivers with “normal” flows since 1991.

The WMO State of Global Water Resources report is a comprehensive science-based annual assessment of the hydrological cycle and extreme events in 2025 and over the past five years.

More than 3,600 people are staying in 37 holding centres across Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading districts. No major outbreak has been reported, but cases of colds, coughs and viral fever are common.

Environment Agency says talks under way about increasing prices for industrial users to try to reduce poor water management

This paper develops an Adaptive AI-Enabled Drought Risk Reduction Framework, showing how AI can improve drought governance, water allocation and anticipatory decision-making when supported by trusted institutions and reliable data.

The Nepal-Tibet floods highlight urgent gaps in monitoring Himalayan snow and glaciers. The article calls for improved observation, early warning systems, cross-border cooperation and community-led adaptation to reduce future flood and drought risks.

A decade after Cape Town came within days of running dry, a senior city policy official reflects on how the 'day zero' drought reshaped the way the city collects, shares, and acts on data.

Deventer is closing its harbour to ships from this weekend after the summer drought caused the water level in the river IJssel to drop to exceptionally low levels.

As droughts intensify and groundwater warms, contaminants can move into underground aquifers – threatening drinking water and agriculture.

Rainfall deficits and high temperatures have created unusually dry conditions and have spurred water shortages on much of the tropical archipelago.

In Marigot, two spring-fed water systems faced the same storm. One continued delivering water while the other failed completely, showing how early investment in source protection and disaster risk reduction can strengthen resilience.

Climate vulnerability is often associated with cyclones and disappearing coastlines, but major climate risks are also affecting landlocked countries, where climate change is altering glaciers, lakes and rivers that sustain lives and livelihoods.

This scoping review maps peer-reviewed evidence on drought adaptation in the SADC region, which exhibits an observed downward trend in precipitation, making it a valuable case to study diverse approaches to managing changing risk.

Currently, water samples must be transported to a laboratory to reveal pollution. But new sensor technology is enabling researchers to measure pesticides in the water on site – and get the results right away.

WFP’s community-supported initiative is restoring degraded ecosystems in five sub-Saharan African countries – building food security, incomes and bonds in the process.

Some of the most impactful changes have come in the stressed Colorado River basin.

Statement on the disaster in Nepal and China by Kamal Kishore, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction and Head of UNDRR

Climate change has amplified Europe’s heatwaves and increased the severity of the 2026 drought . With these effects expected to intensify, Europe can learn a lot from African leaders – and share resources and knowledge in turn. They have been here before.

This document maps global water-related risks facing coastal populations by combining six water stressors, exposure and vulnerability. It identifies major risk hotspots in Asia and highlights the need for integrated, high-resolution risk assessment.

Emerging research shows that a drier world is often a sicker one, too. A new study takes stock of nearly 100 scientific studies of diseases found throughout the animal kingdom to reveal how drought can help deadly infections and parasites spread.

Recent rainfall has improved river flows in the Rhine and Meuse basins, but drought conditions persist. Deltares experts warn that groundwater recovery will take longer and call for structural measures to make Dutch landscapes more resilient to drought.

This study shows how the global population exposed to water-related risks is disproportionately contained in two reference regions and reflects on the implications for future IPCC assessments.

Adapting to the new hot dry summers is not difficult. Many countries deal with these sorts of extreme conditions ever single year. But it takes planning and investment in basic infrastructure, not just another emergency Cobra meeting.

Runoff from a high-intensity storm during the 2022 McKinney Fire depleted oxygen in the Klamath River to levels lethal to fish, killing aquatic life along nearly 60 miles of one of California's most culturally significant waterways.

” Compared to normal warm spells or heat waves, researchers have determined that "snow-eaters" happen when temperatures stay above freezing through both day and night for multiple days, typically three to five.

Coastal groundwater responds to sea level rise in different ways. Where the water table is free to rise with the sea, it does exactly that, rising toward the surface and increasing the risk of groundwater flooding.

While there are many safety concerns after a wildfire, three deserve particular attention: chemicals in surviving buildings, the safety of drinking water and whether burned lots are ready for rebuilding.

The EU launched the Water Resilience Strategy in June 2025 to make the EU water-resilient. It protects the water cycle, promotes a water-smart economy, and ensures access to clean, affordable water.

Rising sea levels may already be affecting the quality of Guam's groundwater, according to a study led by researchers at the University of Guam that used artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze more than 40 years of water quality data.

Water is indispensable to Arizona and Greater Phoenix. Through Colorado River canals, 100-year groundwater framework, and water storage systems, the state has built a resilient water portfolio that is reliable despite the Southwest’s 25-year drought.

WMO community is stepping up coordination, climate information services and early warning support to help governments, humanitarian agencies, climate-sensitive sectors like agriculture and health, and vulnerable communities prepare for potential impacts.

Globally, river deltas are sinking and shrinking due to altered freshwater and sediment flows. Relying solely on structural interventions and engineered adaptations may be counterproductive.

The European summer of 2026 has so far been characterised by exceptional heat and widespread dryness.

Mountain snow and meltwater from glaciers in the Himalayas determine how much water is available for drinking, farming and hydropower for millions of people in India, Pakistan, Nepal, China and Afghanistan.