ADB chief urges faster action on water security

Asian Development Bank President Masato Kanda on Tuesday called for accelerated investment and reform to ensure water security throughout Asia and the Pacific. He announced a new fund, administered by the ADB and supported by Japan, designed to assist developing economies in enhancing their disaster preparedness, infrastructure, and water management capabilities.

"Water underpins our health, our food, and our energy," Kanda stated. "It sustains ecosystems and powers economies, including through clean and reliable hydropower. In a world unsettled by conflict and volatile energy markets, the link between water and energy security has rarely mattered more. Water security is not merely a resource issue. It is the foundation of economic development."

Speaking at the International Symposium Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of Japan’s Water Day, Kanda paid tribute to the Emperor of Japan's scholarship on water. He presented Japan's five decades of national action as a model for sustained investment, strong institutions, and long-term reform. Japan established Water Day and Water Week in 1977, recognizing water as a shared national responsibility, and has since implemented integrated river basin management, disaster risk reduction systems, efficient water supply networks, and decentralized wastewater treatment.

Despite progress, Kanda warned that water and environmental risks are escalating faster than the region's preparedness. He noted that over 40 percent of global flood events occur in Asia, and approximately 220 million people in the region still lack basic water supply, with around 520 million lacking basic sanitation. While the ADB's fifth Asian Water Development Outlook reported that about 2.7 billion people have moved out of extreme water insecurity since 2013, these gains remain fragile. Approximately 4 billion people still face risks from unreliable water and sanitation, water-related disasters, and deteriorating ecosystems.

Kanda emphasized that closing the widening investment gap requires stronger policies, improved governance, greater efficiency, healthier ecosystems, and increased financing. The ADB committed US$12.7 billion to the water sector between 2021 and 2025, benefiting roughly 63 million people through projects like expanding wastewater treatment in Fiji and supporting reforms in Sri Lanka to reduce water losses.

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Water underpins our health, our food, and our energy. It sustains ecosystems and powers economies, including through clean and reliable hydropower. In a world unsettled by conflict and volatile energy markets, the link between water and energy security has rarely mattered more. Water security is not merely a resource issue. It is the foundation of economic development.