Resource information
As countries develop, the demand for
water increases while water supply becomes less certain and
is often not enough to meet demand. In general, pressures
from both environment and human activities can increase the
likelihood of water scarcity. Such pressures include
increased socio-economic development and population growth,
change in people's diets, competition for available
water among different user sectors and growing climate
variability. Climate change is likely to exacerbate the
existing demand and supply stresses, particularly when more
frequent and extreme droughts and floods, as well as rising
sea level are becoming more evident. In temperate,
sub-temperate regions, less rainfall and longer dry seasons
are expected. In tropical areas, rainfall is predicted to be
similar or greater in terms of annual average volumes, more
intense and severe storms and seasonal droughts (IPCC,
2007). These pressures will test the effectiveness of water
resource management systems in providing a consistent and
secure water supply for all users, with minimum
externalities. This study will assess advances in management
practices, institutional and technological innovations for
managing water scarcity sustainably under a changing
climate. This study of 'sustaining East Asia's
water resources through Green Water Defense (GWD) is a
sub-study of the 'towards GWD in East Asia' study
and is complemented by another sub-study 'green water
defense for flood risk management in East Asia' that
focuses on flood management in delta regions.
