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2.2 billion
Total population worldwide that lack access to safe drinking water
70%
Proportion of global freshwater withdrawals due to agriculture
1.8 billion
Number of people living under drought in 2022 and 2023

The Global Water Institute tackles critical water challenges by connecting Ohio State’s expertise in research, teaching, and outreach with exceptional partners all around the world.

 

 

 

Water issues are about people, and ecosystems, and financial realities. They’re about climate and energy and old habits dying hard. Since really thorny water issues don’t have a single cause, the only way to make progress is to integrate all of those other pieces—people, energy, climate, economics—into the solution.
clear water with light wave and bubbles

 

 

 

 

Cover of the United Nations World Water Development Report 2025 titled 'Mountains and Glaciers Water towers,' featuring a graphic of a person viewing a landscape of mountains, glaciers, and green valleys, with logos of UNESCO and UN Water.

The United Nations World Water Development Report is UN-Water's flagship report on water and sanitation issues. It is launched around World Water Day each year and gives policy recommendations to decision-makers by offering best practices and in-depth analyses. The 2025 report is titled "Mountains and glaciers - Water towers." It highlights the urgent challenges posed by rapidly melting glaciers, threatening global water security, food and energy supplies, and environmental stability. As the climate warms, the resulting glacial retreat intensifies floods, droughts, landslides, and sea-level rise. The report emphasizes the need for immediate action to reduce carbon emissions and outlines strategies to adapt to these changes, stressing the vital role of mountain meltwater in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

Recent News

A Dam on a river in the Mountains.

Arizona, Nevada and Mexico will again get less water from the Colorado River in 2026

By The Associated Press· Aug. 15, 2025, 2:43 pm. By Brittany Peterson, AP

Arizona, Nevada and Mexico will again live with less water from the Colorado River as drought lingers in the West, federal…

Lake with low water, reflecting water drop.

Reclamation announces 2026 operating conditions for Lake Powell and Lake Mead

Latest projections stress the need for robust operational agreements for the Colorado River after 2026

view of Morteratsch Glacier in Switzerland

At Europe's melting glaciers, signs of climate peril are everywhere

Europe's glaciers are shrinking faster than anywhere else on Earth, leaving behind unstable landscapes.

A close-up image of fresh water flowing from a polished metal faucet into a clear glass

Is Southern California prepared to avoid a ‘Day Zero’ water crisis?

By Ian James and Mark E. Potts, The Los Angeles Times.

Over the last century, Southern California has grown and thrived by accessing water from faraway sources including the…