Drying Rivers, Lakes and Reservoirs

Global warming is causing the rapid drying of the world's waters, creating crises for habitats and human civilizations. This includes one-third of the world's major rivers, groundwater wells for three billion people, and top 10 global river systems. This phenomenon impacts livelihoods, animals, farming, electricity, and threatens CO2 and methane release, exacerbating climate change.

In Africa, rivers from Mount Kenya, most lakes in Kenya, Lake Victoria (Africa's largest), Lake Chad (Africa's fourth largest), the Nile and Niger Rivers, rivers in Kaar and Zambia, Lake Natron, and Lake Manara in Tanzania are either drying up or completely gone.

North America is experiencing drying in the Great Lakes of USA and Canada (Michigan, Huron, Superior, St Clair), Arctic ponds on Canada's Ellesmere Island, San Gabriel River California, Canyon Lake Texas, over 10,000 lakes in Alaska, Colorado River, Lake Mead, James River Virginia, Elephant Butte and Caballo Reservoirs, Upper Colorado River Basin, Thurman Lake South Carolina, Brule, Popple, Pine, and Menominee Rivers Wisconsin, Lake Mendocino Reservoir, Folsom Lake Reservoir California, water bodies near Tampa Bay Florida, Ogallala Aquifer, Mexico's Lerma Chapala Santiago River Basin, and the Rio Grande.

In Central and South America, drying includes Chile's Glaciar Lake Tempano and Catchet Lake, Iguazu Falls (Argentina and Brazil), Bolivia's Lake Poopó, Paraguay's rivers leading to an emergency state, Peru's rapidly depleting aquifers, and Uruguay's four main reservoirs critically low.

Europe faces similar issues with the River Greta in Teasdale UK, Britain's Mersey and Severn Rivers, many rivers, lakes, estuaries, and aquifers in England and Wales. Germany's Elbe and Rhine Rivers, Hungary's Lake Balaton (Europe's largest freshwater lake), Cyprus's Kouris Reservoir (now importing water from Greece), Northern Greece's Lake Koronia, over 1,000 lakes in Siberia Russia (likely drained into permafrost), and numerous Turkish lakes such as Lake Tuz, Kazan, Yuvaköy, and Mec, along with Turkey's largest river, Kızılırmak, are drying.

In Oceania, Australia's Murray-Darling River, Lake Kak (dried for the first time), Lake Bullock, and Tasmania's Craigbourne Dam are affected. New Zealand is preparing for water use restrictions. In the Middle East, the Hamoun Wetlands is now a dust bowl, Iraq's famous marshes are drying, and the River Jordan is in danger of disappearing.

Asia is severely impacted: Afghanistan's Helmand River shrunk, the Aral Sea of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan shrunk, Mongolia lost 852 rivers and 1,160 lakes, Nepal's Kulekhani Reservoir, Pakistan's Indus River (lost 90% water), Cambodia's Tonlé Sap, India's Ganges River, many lakes in Haryana, Gambhir Reservoir, Piyali Reservoir, Teesta River, reservoirs across Kerala, and the Upper Lake in Bhopal are drying. China's Yellow River, Yangtze River, Gangjiang River, Yuang Lake, Aydingkol Lake, Manas Lake, Lop Lake, Beijiang River, nearly 50% of 4,077 lakes in Tibet’s Nagqu County, over 90% of 10,520 lakes in Hebei, and 13,000 sq km of lakes in the Yangtze River basin (including 800 completely disappeared) are also gone. The Mekong River in Thailand and Vietnam's Mekong River Delta are also severely affected.