SINGAPORE: Governments in Asia need to rethink their policies on water and energy in order to secure their water supplies in the face of increasing water pollution and unstoppable urbanisation.

This was among the key messages in a report, entitled 'Asian Water Development Outlook 2007', published in Singapore on Thursday.

More natural disasters have rattled Asia in recent years, with the latest being a cyclone which hit Bangladesh earlier this month, killing thousands of people. And experts expect extreme weather to increase due to climate change.

Because of such events, the report said water management and facilities have to be more robust and flexible.

It may take a while, however, despite measures being taken to secure clean water and sanitation for small towns and urban areas.

"It is important we learn," said Professor Bhanoji Rao, a team-member of the Asian Water Development Outlook 2007. "One example is Singapore. One way to look at Singapore is as a megacity. The other way to look at it is (that) there are different townships.

"How are the townships administered, what is the government's practice, there is a lot one can learn." But apart from learning best practices, the report also put forward ideas to fix the problems.

The lead expert in the study, Professor Asit Biswas, said the Asian Development Bank (ADB), which commissioned the report, predicts that Asian member countries have enough knowledge, technology and expertise to solve existing and future water problems.

If some Asian members face a water crisis in the future, he said, it will not be because of the scarcity of water, but because of inadequate or inappropriate water governance.

The bank is providing about US$2 billion a year until 2010 - or a total of about US$10 billion - for reforms and capacity development programmes at rural communities and cities.

However, it said that more money is needed to achieve targets set-out in the United Nations Millennium Development Goals for water and sanitation in Asia.

Therefore, the bank hopes to double its US$10 billion with money from governments, private sectors and investors.

However, countries need to carry out reforms and implement appropriate policies to run the infrastructure and services in order to help bring in investment, according to the ADB.

It also said that if countries embrace the reforms and policies, investments will come in because of profitable projects investors can pour their money in.

"What we are hoping is that US$10 billion investment programme is a catalyst for the private sectors, the investors, the co-financiers, the government agencies, to add another US$10 billion," said K E Seetharam, a principal Water and Urban Development Specialist at ADB.

The ADB runs a programme that directs funds, reforms and capacity development programmes at rural communities, cities and river basins.

- CNA/yb