It is critical that Asia’s precious but increasingly scarce water
resources are managed in a coordinated way to ensure the region has not only
sufficient water but also enough food and energy to meet its needs, Asian
Development Bank (ADB) President Takehiko Nakao said today.
“We need to think differently about water and its uses for food
and energy production—and take action,” Nakao told delegates in a keynote
speech at the 14th Delhi Sustainable Development Summit in New Delhi.
Asian Water Development Outlook 2013 notes that 36 of ADB’s 48
Asian member countries, including the People’s Republic of China and India,
have poor water security, with some nations facing imminent water crises that
threaten their food and energy security.
Likewise, ADB’s Food Security in Asia and the Pacific publication
calls for a new approach in addressing malnutrition while the Energy Outlook
for Asia and the Pacific looks at the
policy, social, infrastructure, and technology issues affecting energy demand.
Nakao said it is critical to look at the links – or nexus – between
water, food, and energy.
Excessive groundwater has been extracted in some places because
subsidised energy allows for unrestricted use of electric power pumps. This in
turn threatens water shortages for farmers and a lower power supply to other
users. Such distorted pricing must disappear.
Meanwhile, rising energy use will squeeze already scarce water
resources since large quantities of water are needed for extracting energy and
refining fuels. As 80 per cent of water use is for agriculture, water
shortages lead to food shortages. The region must change its mindset to
understand that 'food wasted is water and energy wasted,' Nakao said, adding that river basin organisations
that gather users, utilities, and government representatives are key to
resolving competition between different uses for water. ADB is working with
such organisations to encourage collaborative water management, set up new
institutions with better data and information, and encourage innovative
technologies. These activities are helping improve water security for more than
400 million people in around 30 rivers basins in the region.
The annual Delhi
Sustainable Development Summit gathers policymakers, experts, and leaders from
business, academia, and civil society to discuss sustainable development. The
event is organised by The Energy and Resources Institute, based in New Delhi.
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