Asia and Africa bear brunt of water disasters as drought worsens in Middle East

Water-related extreme events are becoming an increasingly serious threat to food security, infrastructure and livelihoods, with Asia and Africa accounting for more than 80% of associated deaths over the past five years, according to the World Meteorological Organization.

Wayne Jenkinson, director of hydrology and cryosphere at the WMO, told The New Arab that infrastructure built around assumptions of "normal" water availability was increasingly being put under pressure as those patterns change.

"Around the world, infrastructure that was created in the last 30 years for things like food production, or other industries that use water, even water availability for cities, or hydropower production would have been made based on assumptions about what a normal water availability would look like, which have changed substantially in recent years," Jenkinson said.

"That can directly affect things like food security, because what one had previously, in terms of water availability, to produce a certain quantity of food, or to provide water to citizens, might not be available, or might require more investment to make that water available."

The WMO's new State of Global Water Resources 2025 report found that Asia and Africa together accounted for at least half of all reported water-related extreme events and more than 80% of associated deaths over the past five years.

The report found that 2025 was one of the driest years for global river discharge in 35 years, while the past seven years have seen unusually abnormal river flows. It also found that water storage on land has declined over the past decade and that glaciers have continued to lose mass across all regions.

Middle East drought

The Middle East was particularly affected by drought in 2025.

Turkey had its driest year since 1964, with national rainfall 28% below normal. In parts of southeastern Turkey, rainfall was more than 60% below normal.

Iran also experienced severe water shortages, with spring rainfall 44% below normal and dry conditions extending into the early part of the 2025-26 rainy season.

The crisis comes as Iran continues to face severe water stress, with previous New Arab reporting documenting falling reservoir levels and worsening shortages around Tehran.

Syria has also faced severe water stress. The country's 2024-25 rainy season was the poorest in more than 20 years nationally and 60 years in some local areas, according to the WMO. Jordan also experienced its driest January to May period since 1995, with significant impacts on crops.

The consequences of drought extend well beyond drinking water. Reduced water availability can damage agricultural production, threaten food supplies and increase pressure on communities that already face economic or political instability.

Syria has also experienced the opposite extreme this year. Flooding along the Euphrates has damaged water infrastructure and farmland, illustrating the increasingly erratic swings between too little and too much water.

Asia facing water extremes

Across Asia, the WMO has recorded a combination of severe drought, extreme rainfall, flooding and glacier loss.

All 23 monitored glaciers in high-mountain Asia lost mass in 2025, while Japan, China and South Korea all recorded their hottest summer on record. Exceptional rainfall contributed to severe flooding in countries including Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Vietnam, while parts of West Asia, including Iran, experienced persistent drought.

The WMO said Asia has warmed faster than the global average in recent decades, with its rate of warming between 1991 and 2025 nearly twice that recorded between 1961 and 1990.

The region's changing water cycle poses particular risks because Asia is home to some of the world's largest populations and many communities depend heavily on rivers, glaciers and seasonal rainfall for agriculture and drinking water.

Climate change and water security

These patterns are unfolding against a backdrop of sustained global warming.

WMO data show that 2025 was the second or third warmest year on record, depending on the dataset, while 2015-2025 were the 11 warmest years on record. Scientists have linked rising temperatures to shifts in rainfall, drought and other extreme weather patterns.

Higher temperatures can increase evaporation and dry out soils, reducing available water for crops and reservoirs. At the same time, a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture, contributing to heavier rainfall when precipitation occurs.

The effect is particularly serious in poorer countries, where governments and communities often have fewer resources to adapt.

A Climate Impact Lab study published earlier this year found that heat-related deaths caused by rising temperatures are projected to be ten times higher in lower-income countries than in higher-income countries by 2050. The study projected that more than 90% of these deaths would occur in low- and middle-income countries.

Wealthier countries can generally invest more in healthcare, cooling, resilient infrastructure and other adaptation measures, leaving poorer communities more exposed to extreme weather.

The WMO report warns that the world's water cycle is becoming increasingly erratic, swinging between drought and flooding, while long-term declines in freshwater storage and glacier loss threaten water security.

For countries already facing conflict, food shortages or weak infrastructure, those changes can compound existing crises, making access to water increasingly a question not only of climate but of food security, livelihoods and human survival.