SBR- Content.pmd - INBO

12 - Domestic water and sanitation4.3 Challenges in improving access: rural/urban ratios and populationgrowth ratesThe populations of all four LMB countries remain predominantly rural – between 77 and 84 percentoverall, according to one estimate (Table 4). This presents special challenges for the equitableupgrading of domestic water systems because communities are often numerous, small and spreadout. This is especially the case in the more remote areas of Lao PDR and Cambodia.Rapidly increasing populations are another challenge. Targets for coverage are constantly growing,reducing the impact of new investment. According to the World Resources Institute, during theperiod 1995-2000, the population of Cambodia grew by 2.2 percent annually. In Lao PDR, populationgrowth was 2.6 percent for the same period, 0.9 percent in Thailand and 1.6 percent in Viet Nam. 22By 2025, the current LMB population of 55 million is projected to grow to as much as 90 million.Rapidly growing populations are a problem not only in major cities, but also in secondary towns andcities as well. The latter are projected to bear the brunt of rural-urban migration as governmentspromote export-oriented agriculture andindustry in areas such as the Mekong Delta inViet Nam and around Savannakhet in Lao PDR.Urban growth is expected as well along thenetwork of new and rebuilt roads that are beingdeveloped through the Asian DevelopmentBank-funded Greater Mekong SubregionProgramme, which is promoting integration inthe Mekong Basin (See Chapter 14 onCooperation).Where communities live on or beside lakes andrivers, household sewage flows directly into thewater without treatmentThe special demands of tourism – and itsinfluence both on localised water demands andwaste management needs – are of growingimportance in towns like Siem Reap inCambodia and Luang Prabang in Lao PDR. Growing localised pollution and the difficulty of providingwater supply to fast growing floating village populations in Viet Nam and Cambodia is anotherspecial case.Table 4. Rural/urban growth rates and population ratiosCountryTotalPopulationin 2000(thousands)Population growth rate (%)Rural UrbanRural/urban ratio(%)1980- 2000- 2020- 1980- 2000- 2020- 1980 2000 20201985 2005 2025 1985 2005 2025Cambodia 11,168 2.1 1.0 0.3 6.2 4.4 3.1 88/12 84/16 74/26Lao PDR 5,433 1.8 2.0 0.7 5.4 5.2 3.5 87/13 77/23 64/36Thailand 61,399 1.6 0.2 (0.6) 2.8 2.5 2.3 83/17 78/22 67/33Viet Nam 79,832 2.1 1.3 0.2 2.5 2.4 3.3 81/19 80/20 73/27Sources: World Resources Institute 2000; World Resources Institute 2002257