UNESCO reported on Tuesday that nearly three-quarters of global cultural and natural heritage sites face serious water-related threats. The warning, based on a comprehensive study, highlights the growing impact of climate change—particularly droughts and floods—on iconic global landmarks. Sites in India, Iraq, China, the US, and Africa are among the most at risk.

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• 73% of 1,172 UNESCO heritage sites face severe water-related risks
• Risks include drought, water stress, river floods, coastal floods
• Cultural sites mostly hit by water scarcity; natural sites by flooding
• Taj Mahal faces groundwater loss, rising pollution due to water stress
• Yellowstone (US) saw $20 million damage from 2022 floods
• Iraq’s marshes losing 80% of water; biodiversity, buffalo herding at risk
• Victoria Falls (Africa) faces recurring drought, sometimes reduced to a trickle
• Peru’s Chan Chan city at high risk from river flooding
• China’s coastal sites hit by rising seas; threatens birds’ feeding zones
• UN calls for urgent action to safeguard heritage, ecosystems, tourism