Southeast Asia (SEA) is one of the water-rich regions in the world, receiving abundant rainfall and blessed with bountiful water resources. It is also one of the most heavily forested, housing a wide diversity of plants and animals. The volume of water available per person in SEA is higher than most other regions in the Asia-Pacific.
But SEA is also one of the most populated, already with 593 million people in 2004 and still rapidly growing. The region already has 3 of the largest megacities in the world—Jakarta, Metro Manila, and Bangkok—and all trends indicate the continuing migration to urban centers. Rapid urbanization brings its own set of problems—from the lack of water supply to excess untreated wastewater and proliferation of water-borne diseases.
Most river basins in Southeast Asia are also experiencing growing competition for water, which leads to inequitable and inefficient allocation of water and widespread land and water degradation. Irrigated agriculture, which serves as the backbone of food production in the region, is threatened by the conversion of irrigated land for non-agricultural uses.
The region clearly faces a wide variety of water issues that must be managed at various levels. The 3rd Southeast Asia Water Forum (3SEAWF) provided an opportunity for participants to explore the different ways by which these water issues can be addressed. The event carried the theme “Consolidating Actions towards Effective Implementation of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM):
What Have We Done? What More Shall We Do?”
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The 3rd SEA Water Forum aimed to
- Take stock of the implementation of IWRM in the member countries (with special emphasis on the declaration of previous forums)
- Promote and share knowledge and experiences in the implementation of IWRM among partners from various disciplines of the water sector
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The forum involved parallel sessions on 4 main themes, with each theme convened by a partnership of lead agencies. The main themes were as follows:
| Theme |
Conveners |
| A- |
Network & Partnerships for
Implementing Integrated Water
Resources Management |
|
- Global Water Partnership- Southeast Asia
- United Nations Environment Programme
- AguaJaring
|
| B- |
Urban Water Management |
|
- Asian Development Bank
- Public Utilities Board Singapore
- UN Habitat
|
| C- |
Monitoring Investments in IWRM and Results |
|
- UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
- Food and Agriculture Organization
- Japan Water Forum
|
| D- |
Water Management in the Mekong Basin, Sustainable Sanitation Systems, Water Resources & River Basin Management |
|
- Mekong River Commission
- Japan Water Research Center
- World Water Assessment Programme
|
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In tandem with Singapore’s Public Utilities Board and UN Habitat, ADB convened several sessions on the theme “Urban Water Management.” Presentations focused on the challenges confronting urban water services, the innovative practices that emerged as a result of the challenges, and the champions who promote these innovations within the region and globally.
| Session 1-B |
Urban Water Services: Confronting the Challenges
- Making Small Utilities Viable
- Lifting Service Delivery Performance in Secondary Cities
- Addressing Sanitation and Sewerage in the Context of IWRM The Changing Face of Regulation
|
| Session 2-B |
Service Innovations: Adopting Business Unusual
- Restructuring Water Services Management as an Essential Move in IWRM
- Making Connection Charges Work for the Utilities and Customer
- Eliminating Cross Subsidies Between Customer Classes
|
| Session 3-B |
Service Solutions: Following Good Examples
- The Mekong Water and Sanitation
- Desalination: An Affordable Solution to Water Scarcity
- Competitive Funding for Water and Sewerage
|
| Session 4-B |
Champions and Models: Replicating What Works
- Finding Water Champions: A Key to Improving Performance
- Hearing it from Water Champions from Cambodia and Laos at 10 minutes each
- Linking WATSAN, Solid Waste and Urban Planning
|
| Session 5-B |
Knowledge, Values and Training: Building Regional Capacity
- Water Operators Partnership Program: Twinning Weak and Strong Utilities
- Human Values-Based Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Education
- Establishing a Knowledge Hub in the Region: Drawing from the Region’s Wealth of Experience
|
| Session 6-B |
Performance and Results: Improving Accountability
- Training Future Water Managers: Effective Capacity Building in Water Utilities
- Forging Government-Corporate-Society Partnerships
- Performance Benchmarking as a Tool for Driving Change in Service Delivery
|
| Session 7-B |
Workshop on Streamlining Indicators to Benchmark Utility Performance |
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The forum was organized by the Malaysian Water Partnership and Malaysia’s Department of Irrigation and Drainage.
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The forum was held at the Putra World Trade Center in Kuala Lumpur.
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