The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of Japan have established a new fund to strengthen water security across Asia and the Pacific, with Japan making an initial contribution of $10 million.
The Water Initiative for Security, Efficiency and Resilience (WISER) Fund is designed to help ADB’s developing member countries improve water infrastructure, reduce disaster risks, boost water-use efficiency and deploy digital solutions to manage increasingly complex water-related challenges. NewsFirst reported that developing countries across the region, including Sri Lanka, are expected to benefit, noting that ADB has already supported major water sector reforms in the country.
ADB President Masato Kanda underlined water’s central role in livelihoods and growth. “There is nothing more basic to life, or more decisive for development, than water,” he said. “When water systems fail, crops dry out, businesses slow, children miss school, and families become more vulnerable. When water is managed well, communities thrive, investment follows, and economies grow.” He said the region must “move faster, invest smarter, and make water security the foundation of a more resilient future.”
Japan’s Minister of Finance Satsuki Katayama said investment in the water sector was “indispensable to the sustainable development of the region.” She said Japan would also share its expertise in reducing water leakage, operating supply and sewerage systems, improving sanitation and responding to water-related disasters. Katayama linked the fund to building momentum toward the 2027 ADB Annual Meeting in Aichi-Nagoya.
The announcement comes as Asia and the Pacific face some of the world’s most severe water stress. According to the reporting, more than four in every ten global flood events occur in Asia, while around 220 million people in the region still lack basic water supplies and roughly 520 million remain without basic sanitation.
