There was adequate supply, but the poor's lack of access to it was mainly due to "vested interests" to deny them such access while governments neglected them, they told the Manila meeting sponsored by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

ADB water resources specialist Wouter Lincklaen Arriens stressed that while Asia had made great economic strides in recent decades, still one in three people did not have access to safe drinking water and one in did not have adequate sanitation.

"The root cause of this problem is the negligence of mankind and our resignation in the face of inequality," former International Monetary Fund chief Michel Camdessus said.

"Water is one of the world's worst injustices," said Camdessus, now chairman of a special world panel on water infrastructure.

ADB president Tadao Chino said: "The water crisis in our region is essentially a crisis of governance.

Charles Andrews, ADB water and sanitation specialist, cited several "suspicious scenarios" to suggest a "conspiracy against the poor" regarding water.

He said much of Asia's water supply was unaccounted for, leading to low coverage of formal water services and a large informal market that sometimes dwarfed the formal service.

Arriens said that in cities like Jakarta and Manila, the poor often paid more than the rich because they were not connected to the water system but instead had to rely on an "informal market" of water sellers.

"With such a large informal market, there are vested interests to make sure the water service doesn't improve," Arriens said.

However, he conceded that "informal providers have a definite role" as many Asian cities had old water systems that would take years to expand.

Andrews said many water policies seemed "counter-intuitive", such as high connection charges, low tariffs, poor billing and collection services that seemingly ensured that water services would not expand or make money.

"Politicians often seem to be driving a policy regime of low tariffs," he said, adding that many politicians off the record admitted they did this to look good.

Poor water service often ensured a regime of high subsidies, he said, stressing these policies were "a bad deal for the poor" that often resulted in cash-strapped utilities and poor service.

Water utilities should have autonomy because "political interference always damages utility performance", he said.

He also called for independent regulation and higher pay for utility managers and staff.

TERRA.WIRE