Nature-Based Infrastructure Crucial to Avert Asia’s Water Crisis 📈

• The Challenge: While 2.7 billion people in Asia-Pacific have escaped extreme water insecurity since 2013, environmental water security is declining. Rapid urbanization and ecosystem degradation threaten decades of progress, leaving 4 billion people at risk of poor water quality and disasters. • Investment Gap: The region requires an estimated US$ 4 Tn in water, sanitation, and hygiene investment by 2040. Current public spending covers only 40%, highlighting an urgent need for private and concessional financing. • Economic Impact: Between 2013-2023, the region faced 244 major floods (41% of the global total). Failure to protect wetlands, rivers, and forests—which act as natural filters and buffers—forces governments to spend billions on disaster repairs. • Sector Focus: Integration of "green" solutions (mangroves, floodplains) with "gray" infrastructure (pipes, treatment plants) is essential for resilience. For countries like Sri Lanka, strengthening environmental governance and nature-based solutions is vital to mitigate droughts and floods affecting the agriculture and energy sectors. • Key Stat: In 30 surveyed economies, environmental protection performance has either stagnated or declined, making nature the "weakest link" in the region’s water security chain.