Water scarcity in Asian nations and the path to resilience

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.