The sedimentation crisis poses significant risks to global water security, threatening supplies for over 2 billion people and impacting more than a quarter of irrigated agricultural land. In regions like Namibia and Western Australia, over 95% of reservoirs are at risk of becoming functionally dead. The problem is exacerbated by climate change, which is expected to increase sedimentation rates due to intensified rainfall. Additionally, the loss of reservoir capacity could compromise dam safety and disrupt ecosystems reliant on downstream sediment flow. The economic and environmental costs of addressing this issue are substantial, with engineering solutions like dredging and bypass tunnels estimated to cost up to $100 billion.