1st Asia-Pacific water summit discusses scarcity, diseases in region

The 1st Asia-Pacific Water Summit kicked off in Beppu, southern Japan, for a two-day run bringing together some 300 leaders and officials from 49 countries.

Some 700 million people do not have access to safe water, and 1.9 billion people do not have toilets in the Asia-Pacific region, according to the United Nations. Eighty-percent of all deaths caused by water-related disasters occur in Asia.

"We need to secure safe and hygenic water resources," Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda said in the keynote speech. "The situation is severe, given that a majority of water-related issues are concentrated in the region."

The Asia-Pacific region is home to 60 percent of the world's population but only 36 percent of global water resources.

The regional water summit was called ahead of the 5th World Water Summit, which will be held in 2009 in Turkey.

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