Climate change wreaks havoc on Asian water resources
Afp, Washington
Asia is expected to face a serious shortage of fresh water due to climate change, with more than one billion people forecast to be hit by the crisis, a US State Department report warned Wednesday. Melting glaciers in the Himalayas -- which contain the largest store of water outside the polar ice caps, and feed seven great Asian rivers -- may lead to increased flooding in the short term and reduced water supply in the long term, the report said. "Reduced freshwater availability in Asia could affect more than one billion people by the mid-century," said the department's annual report on safe water and sanitation strategy in developing countries. The report to the US Congress added that "increased floods and changes in coastal water temperatures could result in greater morbidity and mortality due to diarrhoeal disease." Globally, the report said, by 2020, 75-250 million people are expected to be under increased "water stress" due to long-term climate shifts and population growth. Moreover, yields from rain-fed agriculture could shrink by up to 50 percent. The report contains US efforts to help provide affordable and equitable access to safe water and sanitation in developing countries. Over the past year, US government agencies committed more than 844 million dollars in official development assistance for water, sanitation, and related activities around the world, the report said.
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