AccScience Publishing / AJWEP / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/AJWEP025090057
Submit to AJWEP
Cite this article
8
Download
44
Views
Journal Browser
Volume | Year
Issue
Search
Forthcoming Issue
Current Issue
View All
News and Announcements
View All
ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE

Water scarcity in Asian nations and the path to resilience

Muhammad Khalid Anser1 ,  Muhammad Zaheer Akhtar2 ,  Syed Tahir Hussain Shah3 ,  Muhammad Azhar Khan2 ,  Khalid Zaman2*
Show Less
1 Department of Economics, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University, Rize, Türkiye
2 Department of Economics, Faculty of Social and Administrative Sciences, The University of Haripur, Haripur, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
3 Department of Economics, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Wah, Wah Cantonment, Punjab, Pakistan
AJWEP, 025090057 https://doi.org/10.36922/AJWEP025090057
Submitted: 25 February 2025 | Revised: 27 March 2025 | Accepted: 28 March 2025 | Published: 16 April 2025
© 2025 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
Download PDF
Cite
XML
Abstract

Water, the most essential component for life and ecological balance, is scarce worldwide, particularly in underprivileged countries. This research uses panel data from 39 Asian nations spanning from 1996 to 2022 to examine the impact of water scarcity (WS) on climate change, socioeconomic issues, governance instability, food production, and sustainable groundwater planning. The generalized method of moments estimator results reveal that government effectiveness, regulatory quality, and crop production reduce WS by 17.581%, 55.049%, and 0.171%, respectively. In contrast, agricultural land degradation, renewable energy demand, and climate funding exacerbate WS by 0.001%, 1.551%, and 10.397%, respectively. The study underscores the importance of effective governance and climate financing in securing Asia’s water future.

Keywords
Water stress
Climate risk
Governance
Climate financing
Population growth
Renewable energy demand
Asian economies
Funding
None.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
References
  1. Azimov U, Avezova N. Sustainable small-scale hydropower solutions in central Asian countries for local and cross-border energy/water supply. Renew Sustain Energy Rev. 2022;167:112726. doi: 10.1016/j.rser.2022.1127

 

  1. Ngene BU, Nwafor CO, Bamigboye GO, Ogbiye AS, Ogundare JO, Akpan VE. Assessment of water resources development and exploitation in Nigeria: A review of integrated water resources management approach. Heliyon. 2021;7(1):e05955. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e05955

 

  1. Rosmadi HS, Ahmed MF, Mokhtar MB, Lim CK. Reviewing challenges of flood risk management in Malaysia. Water. 2023;15(13):2390. doi: 10.3390/w15132390

 

  1. Dalstein F, Naqvi A. 21st-century water withdrawal decoupling: A pathway to a more water-wise world? Water Resour Econ. 2022;38:100197. doi: 10.1016/j.wre.2022.100197

 

  1. Katimbo A, Rudnick DR, DeJonge KC, et al. Crop water stress index computation approaches and their sensitivity to soil water dynamics. Agric Water Manag. 2022;266:107575. doi: 10.1016/j.agwat.2022.107575

 

  1. Sadoff CW, Borgomeo E, Uhlenbrook S. Rethinking water for SDG 6. Nat Sustain. 2020;3(5):346-347. doi: 10.1038/s41893-020-0530-9

 

  1. Chakkaravarthy DN, Balakrishnan T. Water scarcity-challenging the future. Int J Agric Environ Biotechnol. 2019;12(3):187-193. doi: 10.30954/0974-1712.08.2019.2

 

  1. Sadaoui N, Zabat L, Sekrafi H, Abid M. The moderating role of natural resources between governance and CO2 emissions: Evidence from MENA countries. Energy Environ. 2024;35(3):1597-1615. doi: 10.1177/0958305X221141389

 

  1. Mfarrej MFB. Exploring the nexus between climate change, water scarcity, and security dynamics in the Middle East and North Africa. Next Res. 2025;2(1):100168. doi: 10.1016/j.nexres.2025.100168

 

  1. Dzvene AR, Zhou L, Slayi M, Dirwai TL. A scoping review on challenges and measures for climate change in arid and semi-arid agri-food systems. Discov Sustain. 2025;6(1):151. doi: 10.1007/s43621-025-00945-z

 

  1. Pfeffer J, Salancik GR. External control of organizations: A resource dependence perspective. Organ Behav. 2015;2:355-370. doi: 10.4324/9781315702001

 

  1. Scott WR. Institutional theory: Contributing to a theoretical research program. In: Smith KG, Hitt MA, editors. Great Minds in Management: The Process of Theory Development. Oxford UK: Oxford University Press. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/ publication/265348080 [Last accessed on 2024 Oct 12].

 

  1. Ahmad M, Peng T, Awan A, Ahmed Z. Policy framework considering resource curse, renewable energy transition, and institutional issues: Fostering sustainable development and sustainable natural resource consumption practices. Resour Policy. 2023;86:104173. doi: 10.1016/j.resourpol.2023.104173

 

  1. Anser MK, Yousaf SU, Usman B, et al. Beyond climate change: Examining the role of environmental justice, agricultural mechanization, and social expenditures in alleviating rural poverty. Sustain Futures. 2023;6:100130. doi: 10.1016/j.sftr.2023.100130

 

  1. Ullah S, Luo R, Nadeem M, Cifuentes-Faura J. Advancing sustainable growth and energy transition in the United States through the lens of green energy innovations, natural resources and environmental policy. Resour Policy. 2023;85:103848. doi: 10.1016/j.resourpol.2023.103848

 

  1. Rao A, Kumar S, Karim S. Accelerating renewables: Unveiling the role of green energy markets. Appl Energy. 2024;366:123286. doi: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2024.123286

 

  1. Malla FA, Grover S, Hussain A, et al. Water footprints in power generation: Challenges and strategies for a sustainable environment. Curr Dir Water Scarcity Res. 2024;8:149-162. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-443-23631-0.00010-8

 

  1. Yang Z, Solangi YA. Analyzing the relationship between natural resource management, environmental protection, and agricultural economics for sustainable development in China. J Clean Prod. 2024;450:141862. doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.141862

 

  1. Du Plessis A. Water resources from a global perspective. In: South Africa’s Water Predicament: Freshwater’s Unceasing Decline. Cham: Springer International Publishers; 2023. p. 1-25.

 

  1. Scanlon BR, Fakhreddine S, Rateb A, et al. Global water resources and the role of groundwater in a resilient water future. Nat Rev Earth Environ. 2023;4(2):87-101. doi: 10.1038/s43017-022-00378-6

 

  1. Richter BD. Decoupling urban water use from population growth in the Colorado River Basin. J Water Resour Plan Manag. 2023;149(2):04022082. doi: 10.1061/JWRMD5.WRENG-588

 

  1. Suna T, Kumari A, Paramaguru PK, Kushwaha NL. Enhancing agricultural water productivity using deficit irrigation practices in water-scarce regions. In: Enhancing Resilience of Dryland Agriculture Under Changing Climate: Interdisciplinary and Convergence Approaches. Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore; 2023. p. 177-206.

 

  1. Liu J, Fu Z, Liu W. Impacts of precipitation variations on agricultural water scarcity under historical and future climate change. J Hydrol. 2023;617:128999. doi: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2022.128999

 

  1. Harik G, Alameddine I, Zurayk R, El-Fadel M. An integrated socio-economic agent-based modeling framework towards assessing farmers’ decision making under water scarcity and varying utility functions. J Environ Manage. 2023;329:117055.doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.117055

 

  1. Essaber S, Essayem A, Baccouche I. Catalyzing climate finance for climate actions in MENA countries: A holistic view of Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia. In: Digital Economy, Energy and Sustainability: Opportunities and Challenges. Cham: Springer International Publishers; 2023. p. 55-63.

 

  1. Cao X, Bao Y, Li Y, Li J, Wu M. Unravelling the effects of crop blue, green and grey virtual water flows on regional agricultural water footprint and scarcity. Agric Water Manag. 2023;278:108165. doi: 10.1016/j.agwat.2023.108165

 

  1. Moursy MAM, ElFetyany M, Meleha AMI, El-Bialy MA. Productivity and profitability of modern irrigation methods through the application of on-farm drip irrigation on some crops in the Northern Nile Delta of Egypt. Alex Eng J. 2023;62:349-356. doi: 10.1016/j.aej.2022.06.063

 

  1. Fang K, He J, Liu Q, et al. Water footprint of nations amplified by scarcity in the belt and road initiative. Heliyon. 2023;9(1):e12957. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e12957

 

  1. Barati AA, Pour MD, Sardooei MA. Water crisis in Iran: A system dynamics approach on water, energy, food, land, and climate (WEFLC) nexus. Sci Total Environ. 2023;882:163549. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163549

 

  1. Beker BA, Kansal ML. Complexities of the urban drinking water systems in Ethiopia and possible interventions for sustainability. Environ Dev Sustain. 2024;26(2):4629-4659. doi: 10.1007/s10668-022-02901-7

 

  1. Gharib AA, Blumberg J, Manning DT, Goemans C, Arabi M. Assessment of vulnerability to water shortage in semi-arid river basins: The value of demand reduction and storage capacity. Sci Total Environ. 2023;871:161964. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.161964

 

  1. Tsakiris GP, Loucks DP. Adaptive water resources management under climate change: An introduction. Water Resour Manag. 2023;37:2221-2233. doi: 10.1007/s11269-023-03518-9

 

  1. Grzegorzek M, Wartalska K, Kaźmierczak B. Review of water treatment methods with a focus on energy consumption. Int Commun Heat Mass Transf. 2023;143:106674. doi: 10.1016/j.icheatmasstransfer.2023.106674

 

  1. Hassan Q, Al-Hitmi M, Tabar VS, Zuhair A, Salman HM, Jaszczur M. Middle East energy consumption and potential renewable sources: An overview. Clean Eng Technol. 2023;12:100599. doi: 10.1016/j.clet.2023.100599

 

  1. Abu-Rayash A, Dincer I. Development of an integrated model for environmentally and economically sustainable and smart cities. Sustain Energy Technol Assessments. 2024;73:104096. doi: 10.1016/j.seta.2024.104096

 

  1. Wang J, Li W, Haq SU, Shahbaz P. Adoption of renewable energy technology on farms for sustainable and efficient production: Exploring the role of entrepreneurial orientation, farmer perception and government policies. Sustainability. 2023;15(7):5611. doi: 10.3390/su15075611

 

  1. Kuhl L, Shinn JE, Arango-Quiroga J, Ahmed I, Rahman MF. The liberal limits to transformation in the Green Climate Fund. Clim Dev. 2024;16(9):826-837. doi: 10.1080/17565529.2023.2235318

 

  1. Lazaro LLB, Grangeia CS, Santos L, Giatti LL. What is green finance, after all?-Exploring definitions and their implications under the Brazilian biofuel policy (RenovaBio). J Clim Finance. 2023;2:100009. doi: 10.1016/j.jclimf.2023.100009

 

  1. Arellano M, Bond S. Some tests of specification for panel data: Monte Carlo evidence and an application to employment equations. Rev Econ Stud. 1991;58(2):277-297. doi: 10.2307/2297968

 

  1. Blundell R, Bond S. Initial conditions and moment restrictions in dynamic panel data models. J Econom. 1998;87(1):115-143. doi: 10.1016/S0304-4076(98)00009-8

 

  1. World Bank. World Development Indicators (WDI). Washington, DC; 2022. Available from: https://databank. worldbank.org/source/world-development-indicators [Last accessed on 2024 Sep 05].

 

  1. World Bank. World Governance Indicators (WGI). Washington, DC; 2022. Available from: https://databank. worldbank.org/source/worldwide-governance-indicators [Last accessed on 2024 Sep 05].

 

  1. Khan A, Khan B, Khan G. Dynamic effects of energy aid in energy transition under the moderating role of the government’s regulatory quality. Sustain Futures. 2024;8:100247. doi: 10.1016/j.sftr.2024.100247

 

  1. Yang C, Menz C, Fraga H, et al. Assessing the grapevine crop water stress indicator over the flowering-veraison phase and the potential yield loss rate in important European wine regions. Agric Water Manag. 2022;261:107349. doi: 10.1016/j.agwat.2021.107349

 

  1. Zhang CY, Oki T. Water pricing reform for sustainable water resources management in China’s agricultural sector. Agric Water Manag. 2023;275:108045. doi: 10.1016/j.agwat.2022.108045

 

  1. Dziedzic M, Gomes PR, Angilella M, et al. International circular economy strategies and their impacts on agricultural water use. Clean Eng Technol. 2022;8:100504. doi: 10.1016/j.clet.2022.100504

 

  1. Tehrani MM, Akhtari M, Kasaeian A, Rad MAV, Toopshekan A, Motlagh MS. Techno-economic investigation of a hybrid biomass renewable energy system to achieve the goals of SDG-17 in deprived areas of Iran. Energy Convers Manag. 2023;291:117319. doi: 10.1016/j.enconman.2023.117319

 

  1. Trang TT, Bush SR, Van Leeuwen J. Enhancing institutional capacity in a centralized state: The case of industrial water use efficiency in Vietnam. J Ind Ecol. 2023;27(1):210-222. doi: 10.1111/jiec.13367

 

  1. Zhan J, Wu Z. Effects of liquor production wastewater discharge on water quality and health risks in the Chishui River Basin, Southwest China. J Clean Prod. 2023;418:138136. doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.138136

 

  1. Subekti R, Sulistiyono A, Maharani DP, Dewi IGAGS. The urgency of the legal strategy of abandoned-land use through the formation of land bank in Indonesia. Cogent Soc Sci. 2023;9(1):2239050. doi: 10.1080/23311886.2023.2239050

 

  1. Xiao Y, Sun C, Wang D, Li H, Guo W. Analysis of hotspots in subsurface drip irrigation research using CiteSpace. Agriculture. 2023;13(7):1463. doi: 10.3390/agriculture13071463

 

  1. Alkhalidi A, Assaf MN, Alkaylani H, Halaweh G, Salcedo FP. Integrated innovative technique to assess and prioritize risks associated with drought: Impacts, measures/strategies, and actions, global study. Int J Disaster Risk Reduct. 2023;94:103800. doi: 10.1016/j.ijdrr.2023.103800

 

  1. Rashmi I, Karthika KS, Roy T, et al. Soil erosion and sediments: A source of contamination and impact on agriculture productivity. In: Naeem M, Bremont JF, Ansari AA, Gill SS, editors. Agrochemicals in Soil and Environment. Singapore: Springer; 2022.

 

  1. Shishlov I, Censkowsky P. Definitions and accounting of climate finance: Between divergence and constructive ambiguity. Clim Policy. 2022;22(6):798-816. doi: 10.1080/14693062.2022.2080634

 

  1. Saeed S, Makhdum MSA, Anwar S, Yaseen MR. Climate change vulnerability, adaptation, and feedback hypothesis: A comparison of lower-middle, upper-middle, and high-income countries. Sustainability. 2023;15(5):4145. doi: 10.3390/su15054145
Share
Back to top
Asian Journal of Water, Environment and Pollution, Electronic ISSN: 1875-8568 Print ISSN: 0972-9860, Published by AccScience Publishing
We use cookies on our website to ensure you get the best experience.
Read more about our cookies here
Accept