Water Crisis in the Asian Countries: Status and Future Trends

Asia is one of the largest and most populated continents of the world as more than half of the world population live here. A large number of water resources mainly transboundary rivers, Ganges, Brahmaputra and Indus of South Asian countries, have a large impact on economic growth, food production, ecological stability and sustainable development in these regions. But during the last few decades, these water resources are facing tremendous pressure due to fast-growing population, developmental projects and increased production. Along with some anthropogenic activities like poor wastewater management techniques, increased pollution in water bodies, some natural disasters like dramatic change in climatic conditions and uneven rainfall pattern have induced problems of droughts and floods. Most of the water resources in Asian countries are contaminated due to domestic, industrial and agricultural waste, which affect the health of human as well as the quality of water resources. Recently, problems of weed infestation and eutrophication have also been prominent in most of these countries which affect the normal ecological functioning of these freshwater bodies. Both developed and developing nations are facing the problems of the water crisis and water pollution. Water scarcity in Asian countries has become a major challenging issue. There is a high need for implementation of strict acts or laws to check pollution in receiving water bodies. Also improved and effective wastewater treatment techniques are highly required to overcome the present conditions of water shortage. The present study reveals the present situation of water and water-related problems in Asian countries and future perspectives. New water policies of the Asian countries to conserve water resources and their effective use have been discussed. Due to unsustainable use and poor management of water in developing nations, the water crisis is becoming more complex.