Asia Needs Water Reforms: Expert

Asia must improve its irrigation and farming processes to ward off food scarcity and social disorder, a joint study by the International Water Management Institute and the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation FAO says.

Colin Charters, the director general of the International Water Management Institute explains:

“The critical issue is that if we get more frequent food crises, these food crises mean that people's livelihoods are affected on farms, people's nourishment is affected. These things can lead to social unrest within countries. That social unrest can be capitalised on by disruptive elements. And where we see this kind of hardship, we tend to see people wanting to migrate out of the region.”

Meeting food needs

The best way to avoid this scenario is of course to make sure people are well fed and happy in their own country. The report describes three options for meeting the food needs of Asia.

The first is to import huge quantities of cereals from other regions -- but the report foretells that this is politically too risky. The second option would be to improve and expand rain-fed agriculture -- largely impractical, as suitable land is already in use in many areas.

The only remaining solution therefore is to focus on irrigated farmlands. The report says that for this, the irrigation systems in Asia need to be revitalised.

Water reforms

Charters calls for major water reforms to increase food supply in Asia. “The steps needed are: one, recognition of the problem by the powers-that-be like the politicians; two, reform of the institutions that manage water and the way water is governed particularly making sure that people’s rights to water are recognised in law and legislation, making sure that those rights protect the water for the farmers. On farms and in irrigation systems technical reforms are needed which will increase productivity -- meaning that farmers will benefit, not only by growing more, they'll also get more profit.”

Charters urges that Asian governments must help the farmers implement these reforms:

“One of the things they can do is to encourage capacity building in farmers, teaching them new techniques, helping them through investments and availability of micro-finance in higher-tech types of irrigation technology such as drippers and sometimes sprinklers. All these things use less water and increase productivity.”

Besides, Charters thinks harvesting rain water and making it available for irrigation will be a good idea for developing countries to adopt so as to save precious ground water.

Experts warn that water shortages in Asia will probably be further aggravated by climate change, which is likely to make rainfall more irregular.

Author:Debarati Mukherjee
Editor: Grahame Lucas