Asia may see more conflicts over water: report

[Naveed Yaseen]

NEW YORK (April 17 2009): Asia may see more conflicts over scarce water resources in the coming years as climate change and population growth threaten access to the most basic natural resource, a report warned on Friday. Water problems in Asia are already severe, with one in five people, or 700 million, not having access to safe drinking water and half the regions population lacking access to basic sanitation.

According to the report produced by the Asia Society, a New York-based think tank. Population growth, rapid urbanisation and climate change are expected to worsen the situation, according to the report, "Asias Next Challenge: Securing the Regions Water Future."

It noted water disputes between hostile neighbours India and Pakistan and the complex relations governing the vast Mekong River, which is shared by China and its southern neighbours, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.

The report said while water issues have more often generated co-operation than conflict between nations in the past, demographic pressures and water scarcity would be unprecedented in the coming decades. "The potential for conflicts sparked by the direct and indirect impacts of an increasingly volatile water supply should not be underestimated, particularly in the light of rising concerns about climate change," it said.

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