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Based on the reports of six sectors, including forestry, freshwater, climate change, urban environment, business and environmental education, the report assesses the current environmental situation in Asia, reviews policy measures that are currently in place and presents a number of broad policy recommendations that promote sustainable development...

Currently economic integration in East Asia is accelerating along with a political movement towards the creating of an East Asia Community. Regional economic integration could promote sustainability through generating higher incomes and facilitating clean technology transfer on one hand, but equally it could cause natural resource degradation and...

Sustainable water resources management emphasizes whole-system solutions to meet the water needs of present and future generations reliably and equitably. To increase the reliability of water supply, the artificial recharge of groundwater basins is becoming increasingly important where conjunctive use of surface water and groundwater resources is...

Thailand completed its Eighth National Economic and Social Development Plan at the end of 2001. Important changes in natural resource management and environmental protection were made during the five-years of this National Plan. The Ninth National Economic and Social Development Plan carries forward many of these crucial efforts regarding natural...

Most parts of the world are facing escalating difficulties in meeting the growing demand for freshwater, while at the same time they are confronted by a deteriorating supply of this precious resource. Decisions and attitudes concerning human development, institutional frameworks, water and wastewater infrastructure, and other technological issues...

Wastewater is an important source of water and nutrients for irrigation in developing countries, particularly but not restricted to those located in arid and semi-arid areas. The use of wastewater is widespread and represents around 10 percent of the total irrigated surface worldwide, although varying widely at local levels. While the use of...

In the last two decades, Europe has been increasingly confronted with growing water stress, both in terms of water scarcity and deterioration of quality. Growing water demand, supply costs, and competition for good-quality freshwater reserves prompted a call for more efficient use of water resources, including a more widespread acceptance of...

Groundwater is at risk in many cities in Asia as a result of excessive abstraction. Without proper groundwater management, the precious resource will deteriorate further. In cities such as Bangkok (Thailand), Tianjin (China), and Bandung (Indonesia) groundwater problems such as dropping water tables and land subsidence have been observed, and...

This paper provides an overview of the common types of groundwater contamination observed in Asia, along with a discussion of the policy aspects of groundwater management. Groundwater is an essential part of the water cycle and plays an important role in domestic water supplies and economic activities. However, groundwater contamination, both...

The various negative impacts on the environment and society caused by land subsidence have been a problem in Bangkok, Thailand, since the 1970s. Intensive groundwater extraction for industrial and domestic purposes since the 1950s, which led to a decline of groundwater levels, has been identified by various studies as the primary cause of the...