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Before the Well Runs Dry

Managing water resources in Asia and the Pacific in the face of climate change, rising populations, and over exploitation.

By Asian Development Bank

August 30^th, 2016

“Although Asia’s progress over the last two decades has been remarkable, the region cannot sustain its high growth without addressing the challenges threatening water security. Meeting the region’s socioeconomic challenges will require going beyond infrastructure to address outstanding issues connected with water resources and provision of water services.”

-Bambang Susantono, ADB Vice-President for Knowledge Management and Sustainable Development

A constant stream of people enter a shopping mall at the heart of Bangkok's busy business district.

Water resources in the Asia Pacific region are severely threatened by rising populations. By 2050 the number of people in the region will be more than 2.5 billion. While access to fresh water is still difficult for an estimated 1.7 billion people today, to produce more food for the future, agriculture will need to use much more water from the region’s already limited supply.

A group of children walking to a nearby river to get water. Lao PDR.

A group of people getting water from a pond in Myanmar.

Water is very scarce during the dry season in Myanmar.

Much has been done in the past five years to avert the impending water crisis overshadowing the region. Multilateral financial institutions like the Asian Development Bank (ADB) are continually working with governments to better manage water resources – making its use more productive and giving access where there is none.

An ADB water project on the island of Nias, Indonesia.

A farmers' water cooperative meeting beside an ADB-funded Irrigation canal in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

Karnataka Urban Development and Coastal Environmental Management Project - Sewage Treatment Plant at Kavoor, Mangalore, India.

Villagers access convenient clean water from an ADB-funded water point in Sainshand, Mongolia.

11 km of canals bring water from Truc Kinh Lake to irrigate almost 1,000 hectares of rice paddies in Viet Nam.

PIPED WATER AND IMPROVED SANITATION

According to the United Nations, it is estimated that inadequate access to clean water, poor sanitation and hygiene kill 3.5 million people every year. But since 2013, access to water in Asia, except for the Pacific, has improved. However, access needs to further improve in urban and rural areas.

In Nepal, a community-based water supply and sanitation project is bringing clean water and improved sanitation to more than 568,000 people living in remote and poor regions.

“Having clean drinking water in our homes and in the nearby hospital has helped give us better hygiene and sanitation. It has also freed up more time for education. Our houses used to be dirty and difficult to clean. Now it’s much easier.”
-Bipana Gharti Magar, 14 years old

Bipani used to travel every day across rugged terrain to carry at least 5 liters of water from the nearest river for her family’s needs.

The construction of toilets and a ready supply of clean water improved sanitation and the health of villagers in rural Nepal.

The availability of clean water was benefited many families in rural Nepal.

Dipa Ale no longer needs to worry about dirty water making her child sick.

Bipana Gharti Magar (right) has more time and energy for her studies. She no longer needs to travel long distances to get water.

A water users' group composed of women in Kuirekhani.

ECONOMIC WATER SECURITY

Infrastructure and the efficient use of water for industry, energy, and food production are key to better managing the limited fresh water resources in Asia and the Pacific.

In semi-arid countries like Tajikistan in Central Asia where the harvest depends on irrigation, the rehabilitation of old infrastructure like irrigation canals is crucial. After decades of neglect which caused silting, water logging, soil salinity and water shortages, an ADB-funded Irrigation Rehabilitation Project has restored irrigation facilities supplying more than 47,000 hectares of farmland which benefits more than 260,000 people relying solely on irrigated agriculture for their livelihood.

A floating pump station in Khojabakirgan, Bobojon Gafurov District, Tajikistan on the banks of the Kairakum reservoir.

A refurbished reservoir in Khojabakirgan, Tajikistan.

The rehabilitation project brought increased income for these roadside sellers in Bobojon Gafurov District, Tajikistan.

URBAN WATER SECURITY

More than half of the world’s population lives in cities. While there is better access to water in urban areas compared to rural, there are more than 800 million people who still live in slums with no adequate water and sanitation services. Urban populations continue to grow, putting more pressure on resources to meet the water needs of cities across the region.

Internal migration from the countryside to cities in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) places tremendous pressure on local governments to supply adequate amounts of water. Water loss due to poor infrastructure and dilapidated pipes is also high. In Jiangxi Province, the municipal government has partnered with the China Water Affairs (CWA) Group through ADB’s Private Sector Operations Department (PSOD) to upgrade water facilities. The Municipal Water and Distribution Infrastructure Project has brought a steady and dependable supply of water to homes, hospitals, schools, and private companies benefiting more than 5 million people. It has lowered the incidence of illnesses and has cut wasted water by 40%.

Sun Linzai washes vegetables in the cafeteria at Jinggangshan University in Ji'an City.

Liu Lanxiu (left), was able to start a family business after her community received a steady supply of clean water.

Luo Maixiang has seen the water in her home change from sputtering, rusty, and yellow to reliable and clean.

Water treatment plants have been modernized and upgraded under the project.

Water qualty is tested at the Shahu Water Supply Plant in Gao'an City, Jiangxi Province.

RESTORING RIVERS AND ECOSYSTEMS

Sewage, industrialization and modern agriculture have severely polluted the world’s freshwater ecosystems, putting at risk the limited amount of clean water that billions rely on. The health of the mighty rivers of Asia, such as the Ganges, Brahmaputra, Mekong, and Yangtze, has continued to decline.

In the pacific nation of Fiji, the refurbishment of sewage pumps through the ADB-funded Suva-Nausori Water Supply and Sewerage Project has stopped sewage overflows into the rivers and streams which discharge into the waters of Luacala Bay that many locals depend on for food.

Workers building additonal facilities at the Waila Water Treatment Plant in Suva, Fiji.

Clean water being discharged into a river near the sewage treatment plant in Suva, Fiji.

Seafood harvested from the waters off Suva is now safe to consume.

A group of young people enjoying the clean waters off the beach in Lami town next to Suva.

RESILIENCE TO WATER-RELATED DISASTERS

From 1995 to 2015, water-related disasters have killed more than 300,000 people and have affected almost 4 billion in Asia.

Resilience to disasters has been improving. In central Philippines, communities are fast recovering from the effects of Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) which killed more the 6,000 people in November 2013. Destroyed homes and livelihoods are being restored through the assistance of ADB and other multilateral agencies. In the town of Tanuan, Leyte, new classrooms were built which are now providing children an opportunity to learn as they hope for a better future after the disaster.

Families living in a tent after Typhoon Haiyan destroyed their homes three weeks earlier in Palo, Leyte.

Many classrooms were destroyed by Typhoon Haiyan.

Classrooms being rebuilt with the assistance of ADB in Barangay Bislig, Tanuan, Leyte.

School children taking a photograph of a flower just outside a newly constructed classroom in Barangay Bislig, Tanauan, Leyte.

Children attending class in a newly built classroom in Barangay Bislig, Tanuan, Leyte.

MANAGING BETTER

The Asian Water Development Outlook 2016 says that “Water-related investments can increase economic productivity and growth, while economic growth provides the resources to invest in institutions and capital-intensive water infrastructure.”

The growth of developing economies in Asia and the Pacific can only materialize if finite resources are managed carefully. The threat of climate change and the increasing demand for water cannot be met by drilling new wells and exploiting new water resources. Countries need to invest in water infrastructure and improve their use of water in order to reduce waste and increase productivity.

More children in the future will benefit if countries invest in water infrastructure.

Footnotes

Photos by Myo Thame, Lester Ledesma, Gerhard Joren, Xaykhame Manilasit, Kevin Hamdorf, Viet Tuan, Rakesh Sahai, Samir Jung Thapa, Nozim Kalandarov, Deng Jia, Luis Ascui, and Biggs Javellana

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FootNotes

Photos by Myo Thame, Lester Ledesma, Gerhard Joren, Xaykhame Manilasit, Kevin Hamdorf, Viet Tuan, Rakesh Sahai, Samir Jung Thapa, Nozim Kalandarov, Deng Jia, Luis Ascui, and Biggs Javellana