The World Bank wants to count rain and soil moisture in how countries share rivers

The World Bank now says countries sharing rivers must account for "green water" — the moisture in soil and plants. This means river basin agreements will need to consider how land use affects rainfall and water availability downstream.

For decades, international water agreements focused only on rivers and groundwater. This document pushes to include the water that never makes it into a river, but instead stays in the soil or evaporates from plants. This shift means that protecting forests and wetlands upstream could become a formal part of water-sharing deals, especially for poorer countries that rely heavily on rainfall.