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The world is not just facing a water crisis — it may already be bankrupt. That was the stark message delivered by Kaveh Madani, Director of the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH), during a lecture at IPB (Institut Pertanian Bogor) University as part of his official visit to Indonesia. Mr. Madani’s visit marked the launch of a collaboration between UNU-INWEH and Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI), Indonesia’s public broadcaster. Under this partnership, RRI will serve as the Asia Pacific secretariat of the Global Media Academy, a platform developed by UNU-INWEH to bring water, environment, and health issues to the forefront of global media narratives. UNU-INWEH, headquartered in Canada, focuses on evidence-based policy research, capacity development, and advancing solutions to global water and sanitation challenges, particularly in support of developing countries.In a lecture delivered to students and faculty members in Bogor, Mr. Madani urged the public to rethink how they speak about water-related challenges. He explained that over the past decades, human activity has steadily drained both surface water and groundwater reserves, often faster than nature can replenish them: “Surface water is like a checking account meant for regular use, while groundwater functions as a savings account, one that should only be tapped above its replenishment level in emergencies,” he said. “Yet today, many countries are living off this savings account without a plan to repay the debt.”Indonesia, as a nation of thousands of islands with a big population heavily dependent on agriculture, fisheries, and hydropower, faces water problems of its own despite generous rainfall. Groundwater over‑extraction in Java, land subsidence in Jakarta, deforestation affecting hydrological cycles in Sumatra and Kalimantan, and shifting rainfall patterns across the country represent some of the main water-related challenges to tackle. These problems are more severe elsewhere. Mr. Madani painted a sobering picture of the trends contributing to global water bankruptcy. Countries with economic and technological resources have built infrastructure that allows them to extract more water than their ecosystems can sustain. Meanwhile, in other parts of the world, particularly in Africa and South America, they must face what he called economic water scarcity. Although water is available, people lack the means to access or distribute it properly due to poverty.He highlighted the growing imbalance in global water trade. Water-intensive goods, especially agricultural products, are often produced in countries that can least afford to bear the environmental costs. These products are exported to wealthier nations, effectively shifting water stress from one part of the world to another. “This form of ‘virtual water trade’ reflects a broader pattern of environmental inequality,” he said.The climate crisis, he added, is amplifying these pressures. Shifts in precipitation, longer droughts, and rising temperatures are making water systems more volatile and less predictable. What is more, damaged ecosystems such as wetlands, aquifers, and lakes are becoming harder, if not impossible, to restore. In many places, water scarcity has led to the collapse of rural livelihoods and has triggered water-related tensions between countries and regions.Rather than framing these water challenges as a temporary emergency that can be solved with building one more dam or a new desalination plant, Mr. Madani called for an honest conversation about adaptation. “We must acknowledge that some of the damage is permanent,” he said. “We need to stop treating this as a problem that can be solved overnight.”In response to a question from the audience about how to build stronger political will around water-related challenges, Mr. Madani explained that crises – such as droughts or floods – can serve as critical turning points, lowering the political cost of reform and opening space for stronger environmental action. He emphasized the need for scientists, media, and civil society to work together in shaping narratives that make water issues both visible and urgent in the eyes of the public and decision-makers alike.To increase public understanding of this complex topic, Mr. Madani stressed the importance of crafting narratives that resonate beyond technical audiences. That, he said, is the purpose of the Global Media Academy: to equip the media with the tools needed to communicate the urgency and complexity of water issues around the world. “There is no shortage of sad stories, but we also need stories of hope,” he said. “We need to show what is working and learn from local communities. By telling those stories, especially from the Global South, we can build a more inclusive and informed global response.”