China has called for increased co-operation in the Asia-Pacific region for sustainable water development and for the region's future. China's Minister of Water Resources,Chen Lei, made the call while attending the Asia-Pacific Day event at the World Water Forum in the Turkish city of Istanbul on Friday.
"Some 500 to 600 million people are under threat from unsecured drinking-water every year in the Asia-Pacific region. The death toll from water shortages reached 600 thousand from 1980 to 2006. To effectively reduce the losses of flood and drought while improving sustained utilization of water resources are a common and major issue for all of us."(www.hXen.com)
Official figures show that up to 61 percent of the world's population lives in the region where only one-third of the world's total water resources are available for inhabitants.
Experts contribute it to the population growth, shrinking per capita water share, poor water sanitation, weak management and inadequate financing in water sectors. Chen Lei said China has made a great deal of efforts to solve water problems over the past years.
"Over the past three decades, we increased our grain output by nearly 50 percent by keeping a nil growth of water supply for irrigation, which enables China feeds 21 percent of the world population with only 6 percent of its total fresh water resources."
By 2013, the country will secure safe drinking water for all rural residents, repair dangerous reservoirs, improve irrigation efficiency and update key irrigation districts.
China is expected to receive huge interest from overseas participants at the forum, the world's largest water event convening more than 20,000 activists, entrepreneurs, officials and business executives.
