Asian governments should rethink policies to secure water supplies: report

Channel NewsAsia 29 Nov 07;

"One example is Singapore. One way to look at Singapore is as a megacity. The other way to look at it is (that) there are different townships. How are the townships administered, what is the government's practice, there is a lot one can learn."

SINGAPORE: Governments in Asia need to rethink their policies on water and energy in order to secure their water supplies in the face of increasing water pollution and unstoppable urbanisation.

This was among the key messages in a report, entitled 'Asian Water Development Outlook 2007', published in Singapore on Thursday.

More natural disasters have rattled Asia in recent years, with the latest being a cyclone which hit Bangladesh earlier this month, killing thousands of people. And experts expect extreme weather to increase due to climate change.

Because of such events, the report said water management and facilities have to be more robust and flexible.

It may take a while, however, despite measures being taken to secure clean water and sanitation for small towns and urban areas.

"It is important we learn," said Professor Bhanoji Rao, a team-member of the Asian Water Development Outlook 2007. "One example is Singapore. One way to look at Singapore is as a megacity. The other way to look at it is (that) there are different townships.

"How are the townships administered, what is the government's practice, there is a lot one can learn." But apart from learning best practices, the report also put forward ideas to fix the problems.

The lead expert in the study, Professor Asit Biswas, said the Asian Development Bank (ADB), which commissioned the report, predicts that Asian member countries have enough knowledge, technology and expertise to solve existing and future water problems.

If some Asian members face a water crisis in the future, he said, it will not be because of the scarcity of water, but because of inadequate or inappropriate water governance.

The bank is providing about US$2 billion a year until 2010 - or a total of about US$10 billion - for reforms and capacity development programmes at rural communities and cities.

However, it said that more money is needed to achieve targets set-out in the United Nations Millennium Development Goals for water and sanitation in Asia.

Therefore, the bank hopes to double its US$10 billion with money from governments, private sectors and investors.

However, countries need to carry out reforms and implement appropriate policies to run the infrastructure and services in order to help bring in investment, according to the ADB.

It also said that if countries embrace the reforms and policies, investments will come in because of profitable projects investors can pour their money in.

"What we are hoping is that US$10 billion investment programme is a catalyst for the private sectors, the investors, the co-financiers, the government agencies, to add another US$10 billion," said K E Seetharam, a principal Water and Urban Development Specialist at ADB.

The ADB runs a programme that directs funds, reforms and capacity development programmes at rural communities, cities and river basins.- CNA/yb


Asia needs $29b a year to tackle water woes
Sum needed over 10 years, says ADB ahead of first water summit
Tania Tan, Straits Times 30 Nov 07

THE Asian Development Bank (ADB) estimates that Asia will require over US$20 billion (S$29 billion) annually for at least a decade to develop proper infrastructure and management capabilities to tackle the region's water woes.

In an attempt to kick-start action on the issue, it launched its inaugural water report, the Asian Water Development Outlook (ADWO), yesterday.

To be presented before the first Asia-Pacific Water Summit in Japan next week, the report will be tabled in a bid to get world leaders attending the summit to sit up and take notice.

Discussion of the report has been scheduled during the two-day summit.

'This will not be another report that will be shelved and ignored,' said Dr K.E. Seetharam, the ADB's principal water and urban development specialist.

'We hope that this will inspire leaders to take action now.'

For its part, the Manila-based bank is channelling some US$2 billion a year into regional water operations. But the rest of the effort must come from the countries themselves, noted Dr Seetharam.

Over 700 million Asians still lack access to safe drinking water, with another two billion going without modern sanitation, said Singapore's Ambassador-at-large Professor Tommy Koh.

Prof Koh, who is also chair of the Asia Pacific Water Forum, which is organising the summit, said: 'This situation is deployable and unacceptable.'

'It must be our collective ambition to ensure that water is high on the minds of our region's leaders.'

Compiled by the region's water experts, the report flags nine key areas of concern including the need for policy changes, the rising incidents of water pollution and the impact of urbanisation on water resources.

Also included are regional success stories - Singapore's for instance - which the ADB hopes will be emulated around the region.

'Singapore plays a crucial role in inspiring countries to overcome their water problems through innovation and perserverance,' said Dr Bhanoji Rao, a noted economist and ADWO expert.

The Republic's expertise in water management is also invaluable, he said, adding that mismanagement of water resources will be a major stumbling block for countries around the region.

Dr Rao said: 'It is my humble hope that one day, maybe a decade from now, every Asian will be able to have what Singaporeans have - fresh water at the turn of a tap.'

A price for solving water problems
Subsidised drinking water rates will have to go to invest money on water infrastructure
Tania Tan, Straits Times 1 Dec 07;

WATER prices must go up if the region's water woes are to be addressed.

This politically sticky issue will be among the concerns that Asia-Pacific leaders will grapple with when they convene in Japan on Monday for the inaugural Asia-Pacific Water Summit.

Some 300 representatives from 49 countries will be at the two-day dialogue.

'We hope to seek commitment from the region's leaders to move water higher up on their national development agendas,' said Singapore's Ambassador- at-large Tommy Koh, who is also chairman of the Asia-Pacific Water Forum, the event's organiser. The summit is expected to be held every two to three years.

Key on the agenda: increasing public and private investment in water and sanitation projects.

The Philippine-based Asian Development Bank (ADB) estimates that some US$20 billion (S$29 billion) will be needed annually to help build the region's water and sanitation infrastructure over the next decade.

ADB, which is also a sponsor of the Japanese water summit, already invests some US$2 billion annually in water operations.

Another of its efforts to improve water infrastructure is

the launch of the Asian Water and Development Outlook report, penned by noted water experts, including Stockholm Water Prize laureate Professor Asit Biswas.

One message is that, with the increasing need to improve water services, it is 'impossible to continue with the traditional idea of providing drinking water free of cost or at highly subsidised rates'.

A United Nations report pegged the price of water in India at just US$0.01 per cubic m, while Cambodians pay just US$0.09. These countries also suffer some of the most severe water shortages and sanitation problems in the region.

Households in Singapore pay $1.17 per cubic m.

'By diluting the definition of access to clean water and considering sanitation only in a very restricted sense, developing countries, including many in Asia, are mortgaging their future in terms of water security,' said Prof Biswas.

The Stockholm Water Prize is the highest honour in the water industry.

The summit outcomes will be presented at future political events, including the G8 summit in Japan next year.

Live updates from each day's sessions will be available online at www.ips.org

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