ASIAN INFRASTRUCTURE FINANCE 2026
Feature Articles
Global Freshwater and Infrastructure
Flying Rivers: the Invisible and Deep Connections of Our Shared Water
Impact of Floods: Damages to Lives, Property, and Impact on Water Quality
Protecting Wetlands
Investing Upstream for Downstream Reliability: Hydropower Benefits of Ecological Restoration
Water Endowments, Virtual Water Trade, and the Pricing of Water Resources
Governing Water in the Age of Extremes: Addressing Too Much, Too Little, Too Dirty, and Too Unequal
The Indian Subcontinent and the Water Cycle: From Monsoon to Ocean
This chapter illustrates, through the example of the Indian subcontinent, the hydrological framework. Using real river basins, landscapes, and institutions, it shows how monsoon rainfall, soils and forests, rivers and aquifers, deltas, and the Indian Ocean operate as a single interconnected system. Water in this region is embedded in agriculture, industries, energy, urban growth, and livelihoods; changes in runoff, sediment flows, and ocean conditions therefore propagate across economic and social systems. The chapter highlights why retaining water in landscapes and aligning infrastructure with basin-scale hydrology are central to long-term resilience.
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Strengthening Water Infrastructure for Resilient Agriculture: Insights across Asia
Irrigation rehabilitation generally boosts farm profitability, but its impact varies significantly across agroecological zones. In West Java, dry-season land expansion and yield improvements led to the doubling of production. However, in challenging environments such as semi-arid Nusa Tenggara and coastal South Sumatra, gains were modest and limited only to the rainy season. This underscores the limits of an irrigation-only solution.
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Water Stress and Sovereign Ratings: A Cross-Country Analysis
This chapter exemplifies the unique vulnerabilities that developing economies face from worsening climate change. The findings emphasize the need to improve water supply infrastructure in lower-income countries to secure reliable water access, thereby easing economic and social pressures. At the same time domestic reforms can solidify sustainable water management while catalyzing much-needed investments into critical infrastructure. Both regional and multilateral coordination would prove indispensable toward achieving shared policy objectives and streamlining financing initiatives.
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