Mismanagement threatens Asian water crises: ADB study

The mismanagement of resources, not scarcity, will lead to water crises in developing Asian nations, said a study commissioned by the Asian Development Bank and released on Thursday.

Urbanisation, industrialisation, population growth and climate change were likely to put a strain on the region's water resources, it said.

But Asia had also developed the expertise and the technology to ensure there was enough water for its people, the study published in Singapore said.

The key was putting in place the right practices and policies to manage the precious resource, said the report entitled "Asian Water Development Outlook."

"It is likely that if there will be a water crisis in the future, it will not come because of actual physical scarcity of water, as many predict at present," said expert Asit Biswas, one of the report's authors.

Any future water crises would likely be sparked by "continuing neglect of proper wastewater management practices," he wrote.

"Continuation of the present trend will make available water sources increasingly more contaminated and will make provision of clean water more and more expensive, as well as more complex and difficult to manage."

But the report said that "there is now enough knowledge, technology and expertise available in Asia to solve all its existing and future water problems."

Although major changes in water governance practices were required, Asia can boast of some success stories, it said, such as Singapore's water management system, described as one of the world's best.

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