Water scarcity and rising competition for water are facts of life in semi-arid and arid parts of South and West Asia and are emerging, often in localized hotspots, in South-East Asian countries with high but seasonal rainfall. The main drivers of rising water scarcity are population growth, consequent food demand, associated economic development, and changing dietary preferences. In addition, water development in Asia has overlooked the importance of environmental flows to sustain aquatic ecosystems and the ecosystem services that many water users rely upon for their livelihoods. Comparatively speaking, irrigation is the largest water use that needs to be balanced with environmental water needs.

The purpose of this brief is to provide policy-makers and experts with an understanding of consumption-based water management (CBWM) so that they can consider whether it may – or may not – be possible to apply it in irrigation-dependent parts of Asia that are currently experiencing, or are expected to experience, over-extraction of water resources, in particular, groundwater.

Funding for the development of this brief was received by the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific as part of the Asia Pacific Water Scarcity Programme, and the FAO Regional Office for Near East and North Africa as part of the Regional Technical Platform on Water Scarcity.

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