The Water Project

WHY THIS PROJECT?
In Asia, one in five people still lacks access to clean water. Availability of fresh water per capita is less than half the world average, and demand is growing fast. As the situation reaches crisis level, causes are revealed: global warming, water-intensive agriculture, and population growth, but also mismanagement on a large scale.

RFA investigates and listens to those most closely affected: villagers, nomads, and farmers. This page will be continuously updated with new content.

Droughts and Floods

'We Want Water, Not Gold'
Feb. 19, 2013
Burma’s farmers face drought even before the dry season begins.

Drought, Floods Grip Burma
Aug. 30, 2012
The twin disasters have displaced thousands and destroyed tens of thousands of acres of farmland.

Villagers Brace for Flooding
Aug. 17, 2012
Cambodia’s Prek Taton village was hard hit by flooding last year, and residents fear more is coming.

‘The Rivers Dried Up’
Aug. 16, 2012
Herdsmen in China’s Inner Mongolia region lament the destruction of their grasslands.

Farmers Grapple With Drought
Aug. 14, 2012
Rice crops in eight Cambodian Provinces have been hit by drought.

Water Shortages Bedevil Villagers
July 1, 2012
International aid groups say 40 percent of rural Cambodians do not have access to safe drinking water.

"Communities need the financial capacity to call on services, but also the knowledge of where to find help with the technology."

- Nick Burn, Water for People

Basic Water Needs in Burma

So Heavy, So Precious

Clean Water Still Doesn't Come Easy
Mar. 20, 2013
In spite of the UN millennium goals, it is still incredibly difficult for people to get access to clean drinking water. Staying safe from contamination and polluted waters, often means long treks with heavy loads, intervention by NGOs and some basic knowledge of sanitation.

"[They] have a choice to go to the lake or to take water from a hand pump built 30 meters away... to get people to want the clean water can be quite a struggle. That remains a challenge for all of us(NGOs) in many parts of the world"

- Nick Burn, Water for People

How's your water today?
Click here to send us your water stories

"If you have powerful people within a village taking responsibility for their water, then you have much more chances for a sustainable water service."

- Nick Burn, Water for People

What the Experts Say

Don't forget the poor, warns a Burmese expert

As Burma suffers its second consecutive year of severe drought, drinking water becomes scarce and experts want to make sure the needs of all people are addressed.

An interview with Bramha Chellaney, author of "Water, Asia's New Battleground"

Check back soon for more interviews.

DID YOU KNOW?

Only 0.007% of water on earth is accessible for direct use
Asia has less fresh water available per person than any other continent
China is the world's biggest transnational water provider
Agriculture accounts for three quarters of water use in Asia
140 million people in Southeast Asia drink arsenic poisoned water

Life of the Rivers

Traveling Down the Mekong

The Mekong River is the longest river in Southeast Asia and supports the lives of 70 million people from Tibet to Vietnam. Our reporters undertook the journey to tell their stories in blog posts, video diaries and images.

Disappearing River

Our Cantonese reporter traveled under cover in highly industrialized Guangdong Province to investigate the causes of pollution in the Dong River, a major tributary of the Pearl River. In less than ten years, the river has changed radically for the worse..

"Water alone has an impact on people's health but if you change people's hygiene behavior you get cumulative benefits."

- Nick Burn, Water for People