Climate change wreaks havoc on Asian water resources
Pastor Dale Morgan
Climate change wreaks havoc on Asian water resources*
WASHINGTON, June 6 (AFP) Jun 07, 2007
Asia is expected to face a serious shortage of fresh water due to
climate change, with more than one billion people forecast to be hit by
the crisis, a US State Department report warned Wednesday.
Melting glaciers in the Himalayas -- which contain the largest store of
water outside the polar ice caps, and feed seven great Asian rivers --
may lead to increased flooding in the short term and reduced water
supply in the long term, the report said.
"Reduced freshwater availability in Asia could affect more than one
billion people by the mid-century," said the department's annual report
on safe water and sanitation strategy in developing countries.
The report to the US Congress added that "increased floods and changes
in coastal water temperatures could result in greater morbidity and
mortality due to diarrheal disease."
Globally, the report said, by 2020, 75-250 million people are expected
to be under increased "water stress" due to long-term climate shifts and
population growth.
Moreover, yields from rain-fed agriculture could shrink by up to 50 percent.
The report contains US efforts to help provide affordable and equitable
access to safe water and sanitation in developing countries.
Over the past year, US government agencies committed more than 844
million dollars in official development assistance for water,
sanitation, and related activities around the world, the report said.
Climate shifts, in the short term, can impact the frequency and severity
of droughts, floods, heat waves, and cyclones, it said.
They can then lead to changes in availability and quantity of surface
and groundwater, increased water stress, disruption of services, and
changes in water-related and water-borne diseases.
In the longer term, climate change can lead to changes in snow and
glacier runoff that feed water supplies and to increases in coastal
flooding and saltwater intrusion.
"All of these changes will impact the economic and cultural systems that
have developed in response to current climatic conditions," it said.
In some countries, the report said, droughts and flooding have been
estimated to cause declines in gross domestic product of more than 10
percent.
About 1.1 billion people across the globe reportedly lack access to safe
drinking water, with Africa suffering the worst, the report said.
But the Asia/Middle East region is also seriously impacted by the
problem with about 20 percent of its population still lacking safe
drinking water and more than 500,000 young children dying from diseases
caused by unsafe water supply, sanitation, and hygiene each year.
In the region, the United States is currently helping implement water
reforms in, among other countries, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, the
Philippines, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon.
While water demand is exploding in the rapidly growing region, it faces
supply pressures due to poor infrastructure operation and maintenance,
inappropriate technology, and weak technical and financial management,
the report said.
"Unless fundamental changes occur in water management practices, the
region will experience harsh water shortages that will adversely impact
economic growth," it warned.