AsPac needs $16B to improve water supply, sanitation

An annual investment of $16 billion for the improvement of water supply and sanitation, multiplied by the economic gains from time savings, would yield an estimated $54 billion in annual return in the Asia Pacific region, a joint Asian Development Bank (ADB) and UN report said.

This would allow every country in the region major economic gains and poverty alleviation, thus meeting Target 10 of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), the report noted.

According to a new MDG monitoring report, the strong correlation between water and poverty proves that "when water is inaccessible and unfit, it is a barrier. But when it is available and clean, water is a bridge to even greater security and prosperity for the poor."

The report titled, "Asia Water Watch 2015: Are Countries in Asia on Track to Meet Target 10 of the Millennium Development Goals?" was presented recently by the ADB, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Target 10 specifically calls for countries to halve by 2015 the proportion of people living without sustainable access to safe drinking water and improved sanitation.

For instance, as better water management reduces the incidence of diseases related to poor water supply and sanitation, the report points out that if Target 10 is achieved, 275 million cases of diarrhea in the region will be averted and $2.5 billion will be saved in health costs per year.

"It is never just water for water’s sake, but water for poverty’s sake," said Bindu Lohani, director general for ADB’s Regional and Sustainable Development Department. "Clean water and improved sanitation can save the poor time, improve their health, and provide them income opportunities."

For these reasons, the report advocates for countries to prioritize meeting Target 10 first, and substantially, in order for its overall poverty-reducing impact to register in the other MDG areas.

The report estimates that there are 682 million people in the region without access to safe drinking water and over two billion without access to improved sanitation. These numbers represent 65 percent and 79 percent, respectively, of the total underserved population in the world.

It also reports that the prospects for reaching the safe water supply targets are generally good, while the sanitation situation is more problematic. There are, however, a number of countries currently and significantly off target, with quite a few even regressing in coverage as population growth rates outpace government efforts.

Meanwhile, the ADB said that there has been significant involvement of civil society groups in the region.

"There has been a clear increasing trend in the involvement of civil society organizations in ADB operations," Robert J. Dobias, director for ADB’s Regional and Sustainable Development Department, said.

"In the mid-1990s, less than one in three loan projects had some level of civil society organization participation. By 2004, that had increased to two in every three loan projects. Civil society organizations have increasingly played key roles in policy dialogues and development, contributing to ADB country strategy and programs as well as loan projects and other business," he added.

Last week, the Manila-based lending agency was host to more than 40 representatives of civil society groups discussing the 2005 Comprehensive Water Policy Implementation Review.

Members of prominent civil society groups presented case studies on select ADB water projects in the region. Participants, representing knowledge, service, and advocacy organizations, also shared their perspectives on specific aspects of ADB’s Water for All Policy. Also tackled were concerns and recommendations in the key areas of advocacy, governance, knowledge management, capacity building, implementation, and service.