Water security is global in nature: President Tharman

Many countries tend to think of water security as a local issue, but it is global in nature and governments need to start addressing the water crisis in a multilateral way, said President Tharman Shanmugaratnam on Oct 17.

- Shabana Begum

It is not just rivers and lakes, the visible flows, that cross national borders. Since moisture stored in the soil and forests and released back into the atmosphere also regulate the water cycle, deforestation in one country could impact rainfall and hence water availability in other regions.

About half of rainfall on land comes from this green water. Mr Tharman explained: “Here in South-east Asia, we receive moisture from Australia and New Zealand, not close neighbours, they're a distance away... and, in turn, South-east Asia and South Asia send moisture through the atmosphere to China and North-east Asia.”

He added that the mismanagement of water globally through the degradation of wetlands, deforestation and other land use practices is exacerbating climate change.

Mr Tharman was speaking at the launch of a landmark report by the Global Commission on the Economics of Water, of which he is one of four co-chairpersons.