A volunteer cleans up Estero de Paco tributary in Manila. An Asian Development Bank report released Wednesday (March 13th) said despite strong economic growth, nearly two-thirds of the Asian-Pacific population has no clean, piped water at home. [Ted Aljibe/AFP]

MANILA, Philippines – A new report by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Wednesday (March 13th) concluded that nearly two-thirds of people in the Asia-Pacific lack clean water piped into their homes despite strong economic growth in the region, AFP reported.

The main problem is poor management and a lack of investment in infrastructure. "What is lacking in Asia is good water governance," Ranesh Vaidya, a water specialist who helped write the report, told reporters at the ADB headquarters in Manila.

The Asian Water Development Outlook report concluded that 37 out of 49 countries in the region had low levels of water security.

The percentage of Asia's population with access to proper toilets rose from 36% in 1990 to 58% in 2010, according to the report. That means an estimated 1.74 billion people – mostly in South Asia – still lack regular access to proper toilets. In comparison, an estimated 64% had access in Southeast and East Asia.