Asian nations came together on Monday for a first "water summit" to plan action amid warnings of a dire situation with water resources shrinking and natural disasters on the rise. The 49-nation conference in Beppu, a southern Japanese town famed for natural hot springs, comes amid growing concern that climate change is aggravating water-related incidents in Asia and elsewhere.
Japan's Crown Prince Naruhito, known for his studies of water, said Asia was home to 60 percent of the world's people but had only 40 percent of its water resources. "The situation in the Asia-Pacific region does not allow us to be optimistic," said Naruhito, who is honorary president of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's advisory board on water and sanitation.
"As of 2004, there were 700 million people who had no access to safe drinking water and 1.9 billion who were without basic sanitation" in Asia, he said. "In this respect, our region is in the most serious situation in the world, especially in providing sanitation," he said.
Officials, including several heads of state, will hold two days of talks here on ways to step up cooperation on water-related issues that cross borders. The meeting was set up by last year's World Water Summit in Mexico City.
Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda said Japan hoped to focus on the environment, as well as health and development issues, when it assumes the presidency of the Group of Eight industrial nations next year. "The Asia-Pacific region, which is enjoying remarkable development and prosperity, is also facing various problems related to water," Fukuda said. "We have to say the situation is very serious, considering that a majority of water-related problems are concentrated on the region," he said.
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