Reacción a "The world has entered the era of water bankruptcy, according to a new UN report"

The report by the United Nations University (UNU-INWEH) introduces the concept of 'global water bankruptcy' as a new diagnostic category to describe the current state of numerous water systems around the world, highlighting the irreversibility and depletion of 'natural capital'.

For decades, we observed aquifer overexploitation, sustained declines in water storage, land subsidence, saltwater intrusion, and the degradation of groundwater dependent ecosystems. From a hydrogeological perspective, the report’s emphasis that many aquifers are not 'resilient' on human timescales is scientifically sound and often underestimated in water management.

Although this reality is undeniable—and many systems have already crossed critical thresholds (GRACE data, piezometric records from strategic aquifers, and the global expansion of subsidence support this claim)—the global nature of the term “bankruptcy” must be handled with caution. Not all systems are equally degraded, and the risk is that the message may be perceived as uniform when hydrogeological reality is profoundly heterogeneous.

As the report highlights, in many systems, normality no longer exists. The hydrological regime has changed, and the ecological foundation that sustained it has been degraded. Yet there is still time to act in many others which, although affected, can be restored with proper management. The solution lies in using less water and using it differently. This means accepting that not all uses are compatible with actual recharge and that not all historical rights can be maintained. Managed aquifer recharge, reuse, or even desalination can help, but they do not fix a bankruptcy if structural spending continues to exceed income.

Faced with this scenario, the key question is: have we reached the point of no return? Unfortunately, in some systems, yes—at least on human timescales. Compacted aquifers do not recover, subsided deltas do not rise again, and lost wetlands do not reappear. In other cases, it is still possible to stabilize the situation and prevent further damage. The challenge lies in identifying and prioritizing which systems are reversible and which are not.

In Europe’s case, one of the report’s most relevant messages is that the continent is not exempt. It is not a classic “hotspot,” but it suffers from a silent bankruptcy: chronic aquifer overexploitation in the Mediterranean, coastal saltwater intrusion, nitrate pollution, growing dependence on groundwater during droughts, and subsidence in urban and agricultural areas. The difference is that here, infrastructure and governance cushion the visible impacts. But the balance remains negative in many of its systems.