Spotlights
Government officials from 17 countries across the Asia-Pacific region and ADB staff discussed sanitation needs, barriers, options, and actions needed during ADB's Sanitation Dialogue in March 2009. More than 100 national and local government officials attended the conference. This report highlights the results of the dialogue, including individual country delegations’ action plans that would lead to increasing sanitation coverage and investments.
The unprecedented amount of rain that tropical storm Ondoy brought to Manila on 26 September caused widespread flooding, affecting thousands of families and destroying infrastructure and property. ADB organized a discussion among experts from government, academe, and partner agencies to highlight the disaster vulnerabilities and risks of the Philippine capital.
With climate change impacts expected in the coming years, what kinds of investments do the Philippines and the rest of Asia need to avert future disasters or at least soften their impacts?
Bangladesh: Climate Change Impacts on Rivers
Bangladesh’s Jamuna and Padma rivers have widened more than 3 kilometers in the past 30 years, displacing more than 1 million people. Climate change could be one of the culprits. A pilot study is currently assessing climate change impacts on Bangladesh’s major rivers and its consequences on people and the environment.
More about Water in Bangladesh
Arsenic contamination remains a major concern, but Bangladesh has definitely made progress in increasing access to safe water supply and improved sanitation. Open defecation practices are also in decline.
Making Disasters Less Disastrous
Flooding in the Philippines. Tsunami in Samoa. Earthquakes in Indonesia. How can the Asia-Pacific region be more prepared for the impact of such disasters? An ADB expert explains a systemic approach to disaster risk management that could curtail natural calamities' negative impacts.
More about Water-related Disasters
Story: Flood-Ready Marikina City.
Learn flood preparedness from one of Asia's most livable cities. More stories.
Film: Islands and Climate Change.
Watch this documentary film that examines the impacts of climate change in Pacific island countries.
Interview: Kuniyoshi Takeuchi on Dealing with Disasters.
A hydrology expert says, “Lack of preparedness and poor governance amplify the impacts of disasters.”
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Wuhan City in the People’s Republic of China has a looming surplus sludge problem and the search for sustainable solutions is on. Scientists at Hubei University say sludge can be a resource and their experiments found potential beneficial byproducts. In 2008, ADB’s facility for small water pilot projects helped upscale the study and assess the products' environmental and financial viability.
More about Wuhan’s Sludge Surplus
New Book: India’s Sanitation for All
Providing environmentally safe sanitation to millions of people in India is a significant challenge. This new report examines the current state of sanitation services in India and offers recommendations to help key stakeholders work toward universal sanitation coverage in the country.
More About Sanitation in India
Toilet Technology for Human Dignity India’s untouchables, tasked to cleanup other folks’ feces, are finding a new life through an organization’s compassion.
Championing 100% Rural Sanitation Coverage Joe Madiath and his organization Gram Vikas rally towards providing sanitation to rural poor communities.
Sustainable Sanitation through Community Initiative A pilot project helped empower women’s groups to manage sanitation programs in their communities.
Beefing Up Nepal's Irrigated Agriculture
Nepal’s irrigation systems suffer from underperformance, especially because of poor linkages between irrigation and agriculture. A small pilot study will evaluate the potential of establishing multifunctional water users associations to better manage irrigation, agriculture, and livelihood enhancement activities. The study’s results will feed into ADB’s Community Managed Irrigated Agriculture Sector Project, which aims to enhance productivity and sustainability of farmer-managed irrigation systems.
New Book: Revitalizing Asia’s Irrigation
To feed a population that will expand by 1.5 billion people in 2050, Asia needs major irrigation reforms, or it may face food security and water management crises. This new report, based on a study by the Food and Agriculture Organization and the International Water Management Institute, lays out the considerable challenges, options, and possible scenarios to feed Asia's growing population.
More on Irrigation in Asia
Country irrigation reform stories. Read stories on Asia’s agricultural countries that rely highly on various irrigation methods, whether large or small.
Aceh Farmers Back on the Land. View this film on the story of Aceh farmers’ efforts in rehabilitating their irrigation systems in the aftermath of the 2004 Asian tsunami.
Pro-Poor Irrigation Initiatives. Revisit a 2001 study that uncovered the elements of a truly pro-poor strategy by looking in-depth at irrigation initiatives in Asia.
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New Book on Water Rights and Allocation
Increased water demand and water use conflicts occur in many Asian countries, and licensing mechanisms, water allocation, and water rights have become big challenges. Water Rights and Water Allocation: Issues and Challenges for Asia, the 17th book in the Water for All Series, is a new report that aims to raise awareness and capacity, and presents guidelines and solutions to water rights and water allocation issues.
More about Water Rights
Water Rights: Who Needs Them? Do we need a water rights system? Asia's experts say yes, but with a caveat: there is no one-size-fits-all solution.
Philippines: Securing Water Rights for All Discover the travails and triumphs of a small government agency as it expands water rights coverage. More stories.
Authorizing Water Use, Assuring Water Rights Indonesia's Imam Anshori says, "Water rights should be used as an instrument to protect the people."
Water in India
India has reached the water supply target of the Millennium Development Goals and is also on-track in meeting the sanitation target.
ADB’s “Eye on Asia” event at the Stockholm World Water Week offered partners and clients a fresh look into urban water, river basin management, and climate change issues in Asia and the Pacific, with critical perspectives provided by several of the region’s experts from the private sector, academe, government, and civil society. Some 100 participants, from Asia and various countries in other regions, attended the whole-day event.
Last Year in Stockholm: Asia Day
In 2008, Asia gets a day’s exposure at the annual Stockholm World Water Week for the first time. ADB’s Asia Day event gathered experts worldwide to discuss innovative approaches to secure the region’s water future amid rapid urbanization, population growth, and climate change.
Water in Singapore
Singapore’s big investments in its “four national taps”—local catchment water, imported water, desalinated water, and recycled NEWater—has secured its water future.
Interview with PUB Singapore’s Harry Seah Singapore’s water utility combined high-technology with market research and produced NEWater. Harry Seah provides insights.
NEWater: From Sewage to Safe Discover the scientific process that transforms Singapore’s sewage into high-grade and drinkable NEWater.
Starting Young in Water Resources Conservation Even Singapore’s youth take part in water resources conservation. Can they influence their elders to do the same?
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Making Sanitation Everybody’s Business
Some 89% of Nepal’s 27.6 million people have water supply access. Sanitation coverage, though at a low 27%, has one of the highest growth rates in the world. 
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ADB provides small grants for promoting innovative ideas, technology, and methodology for improved water resources management, water services delivery, and policy reforms.