Publications

Water is vital for the life and health of people and ecosystems and a basic requirement for the development of countries, but many people lack access to adequate and safe water to meet their most basic needs. Water resources and their related ecosystems are now under threat from pollution, unsustainable use, climate change and many other forces...

This paper presents the issues and concerns of the water sector in Asia and the Pacific, as well as the actions of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), to address existing problems and ensure the sustainability of water resources in the region. These water issues may be classified into institutional, resources management, and service delivery issues...

The farmers of the Asian monsoon region have traditionally practiced forms of rice cultivation uniquely adapted to the climate of the region, which is characterized by annual precipitation far in excess of the global average of 800 mm and clearly delineated wet and dry seasons. In this region, water is used dynamically as part of a larger cycle...

In developing countries, the major meaning of "sanitation" is the management of human excreta. In developing countries with poor water supply and sanitation systems, life expectancy is far lower than in industrialized countries. The causes of deaths are also quite different; infectious diseases account for more than 40 percent of deaths in...

Basin countries of the lower Mekong River established the Mekong River Commission in 1995, replacing the former Mekong Committee created in 1957. At a glance, the role of the former resembles the latter, while the political and societal situation nowadays has provided quite a different set of mandates. In this paper, the changes observed and the...

The Yellow River basin in China is harshly confronted by frequent water shortages and serious water pollution, along with the associated problems of intensifying floods and the deterioration of the ecology and environment. Water-related problems have become significant obstacles to sustainable development in the region, which points to the...

Natural climate variability has a direct and fundamental bearing on water resources and their management, which are also likely to be strongly impacted by long-term climate change. This paper provides an overview of the relationship between climate variability and change and the management of freshwater resources, including the impacts of climate...

Cambodia's forests and fisheries provide an important source of domestic earnings, essential to meeting the needs of rural people in Cambodia. In recent years, however, unregulated logging, slash-and-burn farming, and the demands of a growing population are posing serious threats to those resources. Community forest and fisheries resource...

Since the prosperity and dynamism of Asia heavily depend on an open and liberal trade regime, trade liberalization and its impacts on poverty and environment are very important issues for the region. While poverty has decreased in newly industrialized countries (NIEs), in Southeast Asian countries and China, which have experienced export-led...

Book Review "Dams and Development-A New Framework for Decision-Making by the World Commission on Dams" Publisher Information: London: Earthscan Publications Ltd., 2000. ISBN: 1-85383-798-9, 404 pp., £12.95, U.S.$19.95 (pbk); 1-85383-798-0, £55.00 (hbk). Reviewer: Yutaka Takahasi, Senior Programme Adviser (Environment and Sustainable Development)...