West Sumatra
\nNearly 1,000 people have been killed, and close to one million displaced, Indonesia has said a week after torrential rains triggered catastrophic floods and landslides.
\nThe National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) reported late on Sunday that 961 people had been killed, with 234 people missing and about 5,000 injured across the Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra provinces.
\nThe agency also recorded damage to more than 156,000 homes, and 975,075 people had taken refuge in temporary shelters.
\nFloodwaters have begun to recede in several coastal districts, although large areas in the central highlands are still cut off, BNPB said. However, heavy rain is forecast for parts of the island in the coming days, raising concerns for displaced people.
\nIndonesia\u2019s rainy season, which usually peaks between November and April, frequently brings severe flooding.
\nEnvironmental groups and disaster specialists have warned for years that rapid deforestation, unregulated development and degraded river basins have increased the risks.<\/p>\n
Risk to billions
\nThe Asian Water Development Outlook 2025, published by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Monday, warned that the impact of climate change on Asia\u2019s water systems poses a risk to billions.
\nThe research said accelerating ecosystem decline and funding shortfalls for investment in critical water infrastructure threaten to plunge many in the sprawling region into water insecurity.
\nThat could jeopardise gains over the past 12 years that have seen more than 60 percent of Asia-Pacific\u2019s population \u2013 about 2.7 billion people \u2013 escape extreme water insecurity, the report says.
\n\u201cAsia\u2019s water story is a tale of two realities, with monumental achievements on water security coupled with rising risks that could undermine this progress,\u201d said Norio Saito, the ADB\u2019s senior director for water and urban development.
\n\u201cWithout water security, there is no development,\u201d Saito said, adding that the report showed that urgent action was needed to restore ecosystem health, strengthen resilience, improve water governance, and deploy innovative finance to deliver long-term water security.<\/p>\n
Rising disaster threat
\nThe report said \u200b\u200bextreme weather events such as storm surges, rising sea levels, and saltwater intrusion, along with rising water-related disasters, threaten the region, which already accounts for more than 40 percent of the world\u2019s floods.
\nThat includes the disasters that ravaged Indonesia and other countries in the region in recent weeks.
\nFrom 2013 to 2023, the Asia Pacific region experienced 244 major floods, 104 droughts, and 101 severe storms, causing widespread damage to life and property and undermining crucial development gains.
\nThe report said accelerating ecosystem decline was also a serious threat to water security in the region, with rivers, aquifers, wetlands and forests that sustain long-term water security deteriorating rapidly.
\nIt said water ecosystems were deteriorating or stagnating in 30 of the 50 Asian countries it looked at, as they face threats from pollution, unchecked development and the conversion of land to other uses.
\nUnderinvestment in water infrastructure is another threat to water security.
\nAsian nations will need to spend $4 trillion for water and sanitation between now and 2040, an outlay of about $250bn a year, the report said.
\nCurrently, governments are collectively spending about 40 percent of that, an annual shortfall of more than $150bn.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
West Sumatra Nearly 1,000 people have been killed, and close to one million displaced, Indonesia has said a week after torrential rains triggered catastrophic floods and landslides. The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) reported late on Sunday that 961 people had been killed, with 234 people missing and about 5,000 injured across the Aceh, North […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":518948,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-518924","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n