Water access in Asia

On Friday, the Asia Society released a report highlighting the risk that climate change, population growth, and urbanization pose to the continent's water resources.  The authors note that 1 in 5 Asians already lack access to clean drinking water and that, although it is the world's most heavily populated continent, Asia has the least water per person of any continent other than Antarctica.  The report concludes that decreased access to clean, stable water supplies "will have a profound impact on security throughout the region."

A Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty story released yesterday on water conflict in the Central Asian states serves as a reminder of the serious state of water politics today, even before popoulations swell, urban areas expand, and patterns of precipitation shift due to climate change.  Uzbekistan's President, Islam Karimov, has enlisted the support of counterparts in Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan to prevent the construction of hydropower stations in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan and the associated disruptions in water supply in the three downstream nations.  Kyryzstan and Tajikistan argue that they cannot afford the prices their neighbors demand for oil and natural gas, and that hydropower is perhaps the only path toward energy independence and ending winter energy rationing.