Driving prosperity and economic development, water is the lifeblood of both industry and agriculture sectors across Asia and the Pacific region. Like many parts of the world, the region faces an escalating threat: water scarcity.
But what exactly is water scarcity?
“It’s an imbalance between freshwater supply and demand, where demand exceeds available supply,” says Tarek Ketelsen of AMPERES, the Australian–Mekong Partnership for Environmental Resources and Energy Systems.
According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), signs of water scarcity include unsatisfied demand, tensions and competition for water between users, over-extraction of groundwater and insufficient environmental flows.
“The various types of water scarcity – such as too little water, over-utilisation, too variable water or poor water quality – threaten to undermine the development progress of recent decades.” says Ketelsen.
Providing an analysis of water scarcity management practices across ten countries including Cambodia, Lao PDR, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, the policymakers summary of ‘Managing Water Scarcity in Asia and the Pacific’ draws policy, regulatory and planning lessons on what has worked, and what needs to be improved, to mitigate the risks of water scarcity for a water-secure and resilient Asia-Pacific.
“We wanted to develop an understanding of the dynamics of water scarcity across Asia–Pacific and how countries manage that scarcity—ultimately informing more effective management approaches that can be scaled across the region,” says Ketelsen.
The study supports joint efforts between FAO and AWP under the Asia-Pacific Water Scarcity Programme towards sustainable use of water resources in all countries in the region, and the achievement of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals relating to water access, poverty reduction and food security.
The publication was developed by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in partnership with the Australian Water Partnership, and is available below.