Watching the deluge in Nakhon Si Thammarat and other southern provinces of Thailand has been really distressing. Days of heavy rains have left roads inundated, hogs have been swept away on livestock farms and human casualties are rising after incessant rain triggered forest runoff from the Khao Luang mountain range, flowing into the Nakhon Si Thammarat municipal area for the first time in 30 years.
Yet even as the South struggles with massive inundation, we are being warned that drought throughout much of Southeast Asia is also projected to worsen over the coming years. The prospect of severe dry conditions threatens the rich biodiversity of the region and the well-being of millions of people, according to a new report by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific and Asean.
The report highlights the truly regional nature of drought; many of the impacts are transboundary, and no country is spared. Unfortunately, the lingering Covid-19 pandemic, besides threatening people's health, is also slowing drought response and recovery, essentially diverting scarce government resources to other emergency priorities.
Meanwhile, we're also entering the season for PM2.5 pollution, with moderate and high risk levels reported in many areas of Bangkok and neighbouring Samut Prakan recently, due to the influence of cold air from China.
Increasing threats of natural disaster and climate-related risks are here to stay, but most countries in Asia have been overlooking these challenges as they scramble to survive the economic impacts of a year-long virus outbreak. Even relatively unscathed Thailand is now on edge about new infections linked to a handful of people who sneaked back from pandemic-hit Myanmar.
While governments across Asia have moved to stimulate domestic economies following Covid-driven shutdowns, experts suggest policymakers should also be rethinking infrastructure development in mega-cities.
Rapid urbanisation has fuelled ever-growing demand for urban infrastructure such as water, power, transport and waste treatment. The protracted pandemic has highlighted the problem of unsustainable infrastructure development, particularly on urban waste management systems.
Greater use of lockdown-induced food delivery services, now a norm for many, has led to increased plastic waste as consumers have returned to single-use cutlery and packaging because of health concerns.
According to a study published in June by graduate students of the National University of Singapore, households generated an estimated 1,334 tonnes of additional plastic waste during the city-state's two-month pandemic "circuit breaker" period.
Bangkok is generating nearly 3,000 tonnes more per day of plastic waste than before the pandemic, recent data from the Thailand Environment Institute showed.
Covid-19 has also raised concerns about making more green spaces accessible and equitable for all residents of urban areas. The pandemic has highlighted a looming mental health crisis, with anxiety and fear over virus transmission exacerbated by the isolation caused by lockdowns and social distancing.
Public green space -- often in short supply and viewed as a luxury in many crowded cities -- has been shown to have a strong correlation to improved mental health and psychological benefits, experts say.
Cities should also commit fully to exploring innovations in the way they deliver services and measure environmental impact. City leaders can help to accelerate a move from linear economies, in which raw materials are turned into finished goods that are eventually dumped and replaced, to circular economies, which encourage continued use of resources to benefit businesses, society and the environment.
Change won't be easy or cheap. The region has significant infrastructure financing deficits, according to the Asian Development Bank. In 2017, the annual gap was US$459 billion from 2016 to 2020 for 25 developing member countries. Adding funding of social infrastructure, such as health and education, the gap nearly doubles to $907 billion.
Before the pandemic, these economies were collectively spending upward of $880 billion a year on infrastructure, still well below the estimated need of $1.34 trillion yearly until 2030.
Luckily, we are seeing municipal authorities, including Singapore, Tokyo, Beijing and Soul, emerging as drivers for holistic change, yet actions and cooperation in the bigger picture are needed to combat the challenges we face.
As Asian economies recover from Covid, city and country leaders have a timely opportunity to move toward a more sustainable model. Ultimately, urban planning and development must be redefined to encompass healthier approaches if Asia's mega cities are to bounce back the right way.