Towards efficient water use in urban areas in Asia and the Pacific

Sufficient availability and adequate quality of water are of crucial importance for sustainable development and protection of the environment. However, participants at the Regional Seminar on Efficient Water Use in urban areas, held in Singapore from 21 to 23 October, 1997, noted that current patterns of urban water use in many countries in Asia and the Pacific are wasteful and inefficient, and that this is exacerbated by the absence of regulations, economic incentives and institutional arrangements needed to promote water conservation and rational use of water in urban areas. The seminar stressed the urgent need for a comprehensive policy reform aimed at achieving sustainable urban water supplies. This publication is expected to contribute to the promotion of policies and frameworks for more efficient use of water in urban areas. Practical recommendations for enhancing national financial, institutional and legal capacities for water conservation and demand management activities, adopted at the seminar, are outlined, and selected background and country papers presented and discussed at the seminar are included in this publication. Some papers have been summarized or abridged.