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ASIA PACIFIC SHOWS PROGRESS IN WATER
SECURITY, BUT CHALLENGES REMAIN - ADB
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN (30 August 2016) – Water security in Asia and Pacific has
progressed overall in the past 5 years, but major challenges remain, including overexploited
groundwater, demand from rising populations, and climate variability, according to a new report
from the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
The new edition of the Asian Water Development Outlook (AWDO 2016) released today
at World Water Week in Stockholm provides a snapshot of the water security status of 48 of the
region’s countries, using latest data sets. According to these, the number of countries assessed
as water insecure has dropped to 29, compared to 38 (out of 49 countries) identified in the
previous issue of the report in 2013.
“Asia and Pacific remains the world’s most vulnerable region to water insecurity and
cannot sustain its recent high growth through provision of infrastructure alone,” said ADB VicePresident for Knowledge Management and Sustainable Development Bambang Susantono,
who led the launch in Stockholm. “Meeting the region’s socioeconomic challenges and
achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6 on water will require bridging the gap in provision of
water services between rich and poor in urban areas, and between rural and urban areas.”
Water insecurity costs the global economy $500 billion annually, or 1% of global gross
domestic product. Water for agriculture in Asia and the Pacific consumes 80% of water
resources, while 1.7 billion people lack access to basic sanitation, according to the report. With
the region’s population predicted to top 5.2 billion by 2050, the region’s water resources face
enormous pressure as demand is predicted to increase by 55% in that time.
AWDO 2016 uses the latest available data to assess water security in 5 key dimensions
including household, economic, urban, environment and resilience to water-related disasters.
Advanced economies such as Australia, Japan and New Zealand consistently lead the way,
followed by countries in East Asia—led by the People’s Republic of China (PRC), which has
taken the biggest stride to improve water security since the AWDO 2013 edition.
On household access to piped potable water and improved sanitation, all regions of Asia
improved their performance since 2013, except for the Pacific islands. But although the ruralurban gap has been reduced in some countries (such as Armenia and Thailand), the report says
major disparities remain between rural and urban areas and between rich and poor on services
and infrastructure for piped water supply and sanitation. South Asian countries particularly need
to make considerable efforts to improve their performance in this dimension.
Media Inquiries
Graham Dwyer
Tel: (632) 632 4961
Mob: (63) 999 999 4961
Email: gdwyer@adb.org
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In the second area, economic water security, most of the change since 2013 has been
positive with advanced countries again showing the highest scores and Pacific islands lagging.
But there remains room for improvement across the region. Countries that merit strengthening
current conditions are concentrated in Central Asia.
On urban water security, East Asia has shown positive progress while South and
Southeast Asia still have some way to go, particularly Myanmar, Pakistan, and the Philippines.
The report says significant investment and leadership is needed to reliably meet the water
needs of cities.
The fourth area, restoring rivers and ecosystems, shows a wide range of results, with the
Pacific islands scoring highly due to good river health and advanced economies doing well due
to strong governance. Declining river health is most evident in Bangladesh, the lower Yangtze
River Basin of the PRC, Nepal, and Mekong Delta in Viet Nam, the report says.
For the fifth key dimension, resilience to water-related disasters, advanced economies
show the strongest performance while much of the rest of Asia and Pacific has been weak.
Between 1995 and 2015, there were some 2,495 water-related disasters striking Asia, killing
332,000 people and affecting a further 3.7 billion. South Asia showed the lowest resilience
score, but several other countries showed strong improvement since 2013. These included
Pakistan; the Philippines; and Taipei,China.
Overall for national water security, advanced economies are the top performers while
South Asian countries are near the bottom of the league table.
The report concludes that the relationship between water security can be a virtuous—or
a vicious—circle. “There is a strong relationship between water management and the economy,
and investments in good water management can be considered as a longer term payback for
increased growth and poverty reduction,” the publication says. “Water-related investments can
increase economic productivity and growth, while economic growth provides the resources to
invest in institutions and capital-intensive water infrastructure.”
AWDO 2016 is produced by ADB in partnership with the Asia Pacific Water Forum and
three specialist agencies—Asia Pacific Center for Water Security at Tsinghua University,
International Water Management Institute, and International Water Centre. Key contributions
have also been made by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis.
ADB, based in Manila, is dedicated to reducing poverty in Asia and the Pacific through
inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable growth, and regional integration.
Established in 1966, ADB in December 2016 will mark 50 years of development partnership in
the region. It is owned by 67 members—48 from the region. In 2015, ADB assistance totaled
$27.2 billion, including cofinancing of $10.7 billion.
Media Inquiries:
Graham Dwyer
Tel: (632) 632 4961
Mob: (63) 999 999 4961
E-mail: gdwyer@adb.org
Connect with us on Twitter @ADB_HQ