Between 1990 and 2002, an additional 35 percent of the total urban population of the Asia-Pacific region - over 368 million people - gained access to improved to drinking water. Despite many local success stories, however, the need for better knowledge sharing and knowledge generation remains acute, and the social, economic and environmental future of the Asia-Pacific region largely hinges on how well water is managed in the coming years.

While competition for fresh water has increased, climate change has made rainfall harder to predict, and droughts and floods are on the increase. The region is thus in urgent need of updated solutions.

International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and FAO are co-hosting a brainstorming workshop on "Trends and Transitions in Asian Irrigation: Prospects for the Future" from 19 to 21 January 2009 at the FAO regional office in Bangkok. This workshop is funded by the Asian Development Bank and attended by around 25 experts. The objective of this workshop is to brainstorm on three interrelated topics: past trends in irrigation development and their drivers; irrigation management reforms; and future scenarios and investment options.

The workshop will produce an issue paper on Asian Irrigation that will help the ADB in prioritizing its irrigation investments in the region. This paper will also be presented at the 5th World Water Forum to be held at Istanbul, Turkey in March 2009.

On 19 January 2009, He Changchui, FAO regional chief for Asia and the Pacific, unveiled a plaque establishing the IWMI-FAO Asia Pacific Water Forum Knowledge Hub for Irrigation Service Reform. The hub can be accessed at the link below.


More information at:
http://waterknowledgehub.iwmi.org/