First Asia-Pacific Water Summit opens in Japan (Roundup)

Dec 3, 2007, 10:25 GMT

Tokyo - Government leaders from the Asia-Pacific nations on Monday called for enhancing regional cooperation and commitment to improve water management amid increasing natural disasters caused by global warming.

The leaders gathered for the 1st Asia-Pacific Water Summit held in southern Japanese city of Beppu, along with some 300 industry leaders and environmental experts from the nations and territories in the region, to discuss water-related issues.

'Tsunamis, floods, landslides, water-borne diseases and epidemics are on the rise, not diminishing (in the region). With climate uncertainties of global proportions, we all must be ready to float in the same very large boat,' Palau President Tommy Remengesau said.

Japan's Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda expressed hopes for new impetus in international environmental discussions.

The two-day summit will focus on water shortages, disasters, sanitation and related issues. Fukuda said he hoped to take 'enormous power and wisdom' from the meetings to the G-8 summit to be held in northern Japanese town of Toyako in July.

Participants pledged to strengthen measures against water-related disasters that are expected to increase as melting glaciers in the Himalayas raise the sea level.

More than 80 per cent of the deaths caused by water-related disasters in the world between 2001 and 2005 occurred in the Asia-Pacific region, summit organizers said.

Some 700 million people live without access to safe drinking water, while 1.9 billion people are without hygienic toilet facilities in the region, according to the organizers.