Friday October 15th was Blog Action Day: the issue for this year’s event was water, which is a key concern for many parts of the world, including South East Asia.
The Asian Development Bank report on the economics of climate change in the region, published in 2009, provided a stark assessment of the problem. Inland waterways like the Chao Phraya in Thailand and the Red River in Vietnam provide a source of livelihood for many people. For example, about 60 million people live in the lower Mekong Basin, and most get their protein from the local rivers and lakes.
However climate change is putting great stress on these freshwater resources. The ADB report explains that during El Nino years, reduced water flows have caused damage to crops, shortages of drinking water and a drop in electricity production. For example, a drought in 1997/98 in the Philippines resulted in water rationing in the Metro Manila area and affected the operation of hydro electric plants that supplied energy to the urban areas. At the same time, we have seen more instances of heavy rains and associated flooding – in the Philippines alone, about 10,000 people died due to floods and landslides between 1991 and 2006.
This is likely to become a common occurrence. The ADB report projects that climate change will lead to more irregular precipitation patterns in the region – resulting in an increased risk of flooding during the wet season, and increased water shortages during the dry season. For example, the maximum monthly flow of the Mekong River is projected to increase between 35% and 41% – while the minimum monthly flow will fall by 26% to 29% in the Mekong Delta.
Stark statistics, especially when you consider that the region’s population and economic growth is already putting increased pressure on the existing water resources. If you would like to read the ADB report for yourself, go to
http://www.adb.org/Documents/Books/Economics-Climate-Change-SEA/default.asp