The ripple effect of water woes

Tommy Koh & Seetharam Kallidaikurichi, Straits Times 26 Jun 09;

THE global financial crisis and the resulting economic recession have had a significant impact on the world in the past 12 months. Nevertheless, there is one silver lining in the dark clouds. Almost every affected country has enacted stimulus packages to slow the recession and to stimulate domestic consumption.

Some governments, such as China, have devoted a significant share of their stimulus packages to improve water infrastructure.

It was gratifying to hear from the president of the Asian Development Bank, Mr Haruhiko Kuroda, and the vice-president of the World Bank, Mr James Adams, that their institutions have increased their funding for water and sanitation projects at a time when private credit is hard to raise.

We appeal to governments to think beyond the current economic crisis and continue to create conducive conditions for the private sector to participate in the provision of water and sanitation services.

A year has passed since we last met in Singapore at the first Singapore International Water Week (SIWW). This means that we are one year nearer the target year, 2015, for achieving the Millennium Development Goal No. 7 and Target No.10 for water and sanitation.

Are we on track to achieving our target of reducing by half the proportion of people in our countries without access to safe drinking water and improved sanitation? There is good news and bad news.

The good news is that on water, many countries, such as China and Asean nations, are likely to achieve the target. Last year, China made safe drinking water available to an additional 48 million of the rural people.

The bad news is that commensurate progress has not been made on sanitation. In fact, the situation in Asia is nothing short of scandalous. Because of poor sanitation and contaminated water, diarrhoea is the biggest threat to the health of children.

As noted this week, the treatment of wastewater should be given more importance in the developmental agenda. In fact, according to Unesco, if we rely on flush toilets for sanitation and do not improve wastewater treatment, we will further exacerbate the contamination in the rivers and the environment.

One learning point from the first SIWW was that the water problems in most parts of Asia were not due to an absolute shortage of water but poor governance.

These problems could be solved with good governance and better management practices. The problems include antiquated infrastructure, poor maintenance, corruption and bad leadership. This truth is as valid this year as it was last year.

The Institute of Water Policy at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy will champion good water governance and management practices in Asia.

We would like to highlight six learning points at the two roundtables in the Water Leaders Summit 2009:

1.At the 2009 World Water Forum in Istanbul, the mayors of the world adopted a new initiative called the Istanbul Water Consensus. The initiative has already been signed by 270 mayors. They will develop an action plan, set targets and report on their achievements to the next World Water Forum.

2.It is clear that there is no international consensus on this issue. In some countries, water is regarded as a public good and is available for free. In other countries, it is heavily subsidised by taxpayers. In countries such as Singapore, water is not subsidised and is sold to domestic consumers at full cost. This has not created hardship for our lower-income families.

3.Developing countries can afford to reduce the percentage of leakage to below 20 per cent, learning from the Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority that succeeded in reducing its water leakage to below 10 per cent within 10 years.

4.Water, energy, food and waste should not be treated in their respective silos but should be dealt with in a holistic manner and as one integral whole.

5.Agriculture accounts for 70 per cent of the world's utilisation of water. Less than 50 per cent of the water used in irrigation actually reaches the roots of the plants. Therefore, a breakthrough in the efficient use of water in agriculture would bring about a paradigm shift in the water landscape of the world.

6.Finally, the wisdom of the American story is that if you wish to make fundamental progress in the field of water, you should invest in all the four links of the value chain, namely, people, assets, innovation and management.

In April, the New York-based Asia Society issued an important report on water security in Asia. The most important contribution of the report is that water is not just an economic issue, a human welfare issue or an environmental issue. It is also a 'security' issue.

The report highlights 'the significance of water as a source of livelihoods, a vector of pathogens, a potent force behind extreme events and natural disasters and also a mechanism for cooperation among governments and communities'.

In the case of international rivers, of which there are many in Asia, water could either be a source of conflict between neighbouring states or a shared resource which inspires cooperation and mutual benefit.

Professor Koh is the chairman of the Institute of Policy Studies. Professor Kallidaikurichi is Visiting Professor and director of the Institute of Water Policy at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. This article is based on comments delivered by Prof Koh at the ongoing Singapore International Water Week.