Bank report paints bleak picture of Asia's environment

Haze from forest fires has blanketed much of Southeast Asia for several years in a row

By CNN's Hope Ngo

HONG KONG, China (CNN) -- Asia will be unable to achieve long-term sustainable economic growth, unless it pays attention to environmental issues.

This is one of the key conclusions made by the Asian Development Bank, in "Asian Environment Outlook 2001", its report on the region and its living conditions.

"Environmental degradation is pervasive, accelerating and unabated. At risk are people's health and livelihoods, the survival of the species and ecosystem services that are the basis for long-term economic development, " the ADB said.

The report paints a bleak picture of the region's worsening environment.

It says air pollution levels in Asia are among the highest -- of the top 15 cities in the world with the highest levels of particulate matter pollution, 12 are located in the Asia and Pacific region.

Six of the top 15 cities with the highest levels of sulfur dioxide pollution are also Asian.

On top of that water quality has been steadily fouled by sewage, urban and agricultural runoff, as well as industrial waste.

"One in three Asians don't have access to safe drinking water. One out of two have no access to sanitation, and less than 10 percent of sewage is really disposed of properly," ADB environment specialist S. Tahir Qadri told CNN.

"There is an inadequate awareness of environmental problems in the region," he said.

No finger-pointing

12 of the world's 15 most polluted cities are in Asia

Qadri refused to identify the region's worst environmental culprits, saying it wouldn't achieve anything.

"The conditions in the region at the moment are such, that most of them are not managing the environment as they should," he said.

"So pointing fingers at one country or another country doesn't do anything to help the cause. What is the point of saying that one country or one city is more polluted than the other? They're all in the same boat," Qadri said.

The ADB is hoping Asian governments recognize the importance of cleaning up their environmental act.

"If we are trying to reduce poverty in the region, we have to go for economic development that is sustainable. Because if it is not sustainable, that means the environment has been compromised," he said.

"The poor people are more vulnerable and susceptible to environmental pollution. They have no access to sanitation, they have no access to clean water, so they suffer," he said.

Calls for change

The report proposes several measures that the ADB hopes will begin to slow the pace of environmental destruction in the region.

These include policy integration -- uniting both economic and environmental concerns into official policy -- and a call for governments to generate the political will to put such policy into action.

The ADB has also said that if needed, it can mobilize funding to ensure that its individual members environmental targets are met.

"ADB is about poverty reduction," Qadri said. "If we cannot address poverty reduction by ensuring sustainable development, we are in the wrong business."