South Asia Climate Change Risks in Water Management

Abstract

Water management is a key development challenge in South Asia. The region - one of the most densely-populated and climate-vulnerable parts of the world - has the world’s fastest growing regional economy and the largest proportion of poorest people. With 23.7 percent of the global population, but only 4.6 percent of the world’s renewable water resources, the management of water is a key development challenge for sustaining growth, livelihoods, and resilience. The key features of this challenge are ensuring a reliable supply of water for food, people, energy, and industry, and managing the consequences of extreme hydrological events. Climate change will compound this challenge; it will impact, though unevenly, water supply, demand and quality, and exacerbate extreme hydrological events.