Water in Asia

Water is an issue that interests me a lot these days. I was buying bottled water (18 liter plastic bottles) but recently decided to switch to tapwater. It doesn't taste as good as the bottled stuff, but here in Japan, tapwater is safe to drink. And I don't want to contribute to more energy waste and pollution by having the plastic bottles delivered by truck to my doorstep.

Next week ADB is holding an international water conference in Beppu City, Japan. A team of eminent experts, led by 2006 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate Professor Asit Biswas and supported by a panel of resource persons, have prepared a report about the water issues in Asian countries:

ADB: Asian Water Development Outlook 2007

The report is trying to put on a brave face, calling it a "cautiously optimistic" look atAsia’s water future. With existing knowledge, experience, and technology, the region’s water problems are solvable. But in solving these issues, the report highlights that:

* Worldwide competition for water is increasing. But any water crisis in the future will not be caused by physical scarcity of water, but more likely by inadequate or inappropriate water governance
* There is a need to address the inherent relationships between water and other development-related sectors, e.g. energy, food, environment, as interactions among them will determine the future of Asian countries
* Climate change is creating a new level of uncertainty in water planning and management processes, and accelerated research is needed if serious water-related stresses are to be avoided
* Limited access to water is a key determinant of poverty. Yet the poor causes a significant proportion of water problems, e.g. uncontrolled deforestation. Investing in poverty reduction counters further degradation of water resources and the environment
* Stable institutional frameworks, strong political will, accelerated demand from civil society to solve water issues, adequate financial and managerial support, and intensive capacity development efforts are among the common characteristics of successful water management practices in the region

Reuters notes that developing countries in Asia could face an "unprecedented" water crisis within a decade due to mismanagement of water resources, and that the effects of climate change, rapid industrialisation and population growth on water resources could lead to health and social issues that could cost billions of dollars annually.

Reuters: Asian Nations Face "Unprecedented" Water Crisis - ADB

Comments

Pandabonium said…
Excuse me, I have to go pee.
Martin J Frid said…
pandabonium,

Fortunately, in Japan, tap water is not coming from such sources ;)

Under a controversial proposal to be considered by a City Council committee tomorrow, some of the water treated at San Diego's North City Water Reclamation Plant would be purified enough to become drinking water. The effort is designed to reduce the region's reliance on imported water.

San Diego: Recycled tap water's 'unsettled question'

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20060926-9999-1n26water.html
Anonymous said…
That San Diego article is interesting. I grew up in southern California and the whole place is really a desert, relying on the Colorado river and high dessert ground water to survive. Along with Las Vegas, Phoenix and other Southwestern US cities, it has no sustainable basis.
Martin J Frid said…
Well, maybe they are drinking other (bottled) things, but it will all have to be transported very far.

No sustainable basis... Maybe the country that put a man on the moon should consider how to make a man live on Earth.

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