Asia-Pacific Summit
Clean Water Availability
There are many issues that account for the clean water shortage issue in the Asia-Pacific, one of which is the impossibility of drinking ocean water. Although there is an incredible supply of ocean water the process of converting this water into a usable form is long and the amount of energy needed to convert saline water to potable water is not currently available for such uses. Plus, the cost of a desalinization plant is typically about 1 billion dollars or more.
Though ocean water is not the only water source, the fresh water in many areas cannot be used due to improper disposal of trash and household waste that contaminates the drinking water. A large percentage of fresh water stored in the ground that could be available for drinking is not because of pollution and improper disposal of waste. Asia has one of the highest percentages of polluted water in the world; one of the leading causes of death in Asia is waterborne diseases and the absence of sanitary domestic water.
The repercussions of water shortage are great. In Mumbai, India in July 2009, for example, the authorities in the Indian city of Mumbai (Bombay) reduced water supplies by 30% as it faced one of the worst water shortages in its history. The cuts affected supplies to hundreds of thousands of households as well as hospitals and hotels. Most lakes that supply water to Indian cities are heavily dependent on monsoon rainfall which last year was intermittent. In December 2009, Mumbai's Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) was delivering some 90 liters of water per day to the city's residents. This is far short of the 135 liters of water the World Health Organization (WHO) says they require for their basic needs, so there is growing anger over the water shortages in Mumbai and other countries, as well. It is up to the United Nations to look for economically sound solutions to the shortage of drinkable water.