Asian Development Bank to intensify Asian water security study

Malaysia Sun: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has commissioned a second edition of its Asian Water Development Outlook (AWDO) in the run up to the Asia-Pacific Water Summit in 2010. AWDO 2010 will focus on how countries in the region are coping with a wide range of water security issues that pose critical challenges to ADB's mission to boost inclusive economic growth, reduce poverty, and bring about environmental change in the Asia-Pacific region.

"From households and community halls to boardrooms and parliaments, the need for water security is now felt by all sectors and at all levels in our developing member countries," says Amy Leung, ADB's Water Committee chair. "Climate change and a continued rise in water-related disasters are making the challenge of providing water security all the more urgent."

The last AWDO report was released in 2007. It found that inadequate water governance led to a raft of adverse health and social issues that cost countries in developing Asia billions of dollars each year. AWDO 2007 also stressed that committed leadership and existing knowledge and technologies could help solve many water security problems.

ADB will work with a team of experts from regional water knowledge hubs and lead organizations of the Asia-Pacific Water Forum (APWF) to prepare AWDO 2010. Their guiding vision states that "societies can enjoy water security when they successfully manage their water resources and services to 1) satisfy household water and sanitation needs in all communities; 2) support productive economies in agriculture and industry; 3) develop vibrant, liveable cities and towns; 4) restore healthy rivers and ecosystems; and, 5) build resilient communities that can adapt to change."…