At a time when environmental issues are at the forefront of global discussions, Southeast Asia stands at a pivotal crossroads. The COP28 summit in the United Arab Emirates, one of the most water-stressed regions in the world, has brought the decarbonisation of the wastewater treatment industry into sharp focus.
Despite common perceptions, Southeast Asia’s water resources are far from inexhaustible. The region faces significant gaps in hitting water-centric Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). According to the Asian Development Bank, roughly 500 million individuals across Southeast Asia grapple with limited access to clean water, and over 1.1 billion have insufficient sanitation.
Access to water is further complicated by concerns surrounding water security, driven by rapid urban growth and an expanding population. Predictions suggest an increase in water demand, putting existing water infrastructure under pressure. On the one hand, nations are thriving for more growth, which ultimately brings a higher standard of living, but on the other, this comes at a cost depleting their water resources. Higher growth means higher industrialisation, which in turn equates to higher water usage.
This reinforces the necessity for innovative solutions that can manage the region’s water resources effectively. With every passing year, these challenges become more pronounced, highlighting the urgency for forward-looking and creative responses.
THE RISE OF AQUATECH AND AQUAPRENEURS
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Denne historien er fra AG 162-utgaven av ASIAN Geographic.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Wildlife Big Yellow Beauty
The popular "amelanistic" form of the Burmese python is considered among the most beautiful snakes - if that's your sort of thing
All That Glitters Is Gold
From Turkey to China, the yellow metal plays a central role in cultural practices and is coveted as a symbol of affluence and status
Chengdu Hotel Spotlight TRIKA TSANG INTERNATIONAL HOTEL
For an authentic taste of Tibet in the heart of Chengdu, the most luxurious option is the majestic Trika Tsang International Hotel.
The Mighty Yellow
Over 5,000 kilometres long and flowing through nine provinces and autonomous regions, the Yellow River is China's second largest, after the Yangtze, while its basin is deemed the cradle of Chinese civilisation
Conservation Yellow in Peril
While the demand for use in traditional Chinese medicine is putting seahorses under pressure, it is damaging non-selective fishing that is driving depletion
Revealed Doctor Yellow
Japan Railways' special lemony Shinkansen is a rare sight to behold
History Spiritual Rebirth
During the Spanish Golden Age, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan achieved the first European navigation to Asia via the Pacific, arriving in the Philippines in 1521 and claiming the islands for Spain. But by converting the first Filipinos to Catholicism, Magellan also instigated the Christianisation of the entire archipelago, a spiritual rebirth celebrated through the two most important festivals in the Philippines - Fiesta Señor and Sinulog.
Green Dreams
With its tea plantations and rice paddies, dense jungles and expansive forests, the region is well known as a green paradise. But many of the most impressive Asian landscapes have names you may never have heard of. Journey with us as we reveal just some of the incredible locations that make the rest of the world green with envy!
Life On The Edge
In the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, in the remote northern Russian Far East, indigenous ethnic groups like the Chukchi and the Yupik live in the most extreme conditions, hunting seals in their traditional kayaks as they have for millennia
The Karakoram Anomaly Decoded
For decades, scientists have believed that glaciers in the Karakoram Range are defying the trend of those across the globe-resisting glacial melt due to human-induced global warming. But as we trek up the Karakoram's second-longest glacier in July, as the United Nations announces the world's hottest ever month on record, does the melting ice beneath our feet suggest the so-called Karakoram Anomaly is slowing? Or is there a ray of hope it will continue to delay the inevitable?
