Significant progress has been made in Asia and the Pacific in the past three decades to ensure that everyone has access to drinking water. However, there remains a significant gap between those with access to a clean, accessible, regular water supply, and those who go without.

The safe water divide between urban and rural populations across the region is stark. According to the Asian Development Bank’s Basic Statistics 2025 data, many rural communities in Asia’s developing countries are only half as likely to have access to potable, nearby water as their counterparts living in towns and cities.

In Mongolia, Cambodia, and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, the data is concerning. People living outside towns and cities in these countries have access to safe water at only about 30% the level of their urban counterparts. In Mongolia, where this divide is most noticeable, 51% of those in cities have clean, reliable water, in the country’s vast rural steppes, that figure is only 13%.

The reasons for this difference are well documented. Population densities and economies of scale mean it is far easier and cheaper per head to provide quality water supply infrastructure in urban areas. Governments tend to prioritize towns and cities for service delivery. They’re the engines of economic growth, and people in cities have higher incomes and more political clout.

Connecting rural residents located far from reliable water sources is both challenging and costly. Rural communities may be in water-scarce regions or places with difficult terrain. Low population density makes investment in large-scale water infrastructure less attractive to governments and private providers unless domestic water provision can be folded into agribusiness or energy infrastructure projects.

Yet even in urban environments, not everyone benefits equally. Low-income, informal, or illegal settlements still suffer with residents facing poor or inconsistent water access. These neighborhoods are often last in line for services.

Rural areas face more severe challenges. Many communities lack basic infrastructure for clean water access, relying on unsafe sources like rivers, unprotected wells, or rainwater collection. Without proper treatment facilities, these water sources become breeding grounds for waterborne diseases such as typhoid, particularly in areas where access to healthcare is also limited.

In urban areas, informal settlements often rely on water vendors or shared community taps, but these water sources are more likely to be treated compared to rural sources. So, the disparities between urban and rural access to clean water continue to fuel a growing health crisis, particularly in low-income countries.

In Cambodia, the water crisis stems largely from contaminated water supply from multiple sources. The lack of clean water is particularly prominent in rural areas with poor infrastructure. Innovations such as Clear Cambodia’s Biosand Filters offer a promising low-cost solution, using simple yet effective technology to treat contaminated water for rural households. These methods are effective but should be temporary, while pipelines, treatment plants, and other facilities are being constructed.

Bridging the water gap between urban and rural areas requires more than just expanding infrastructure; it demands innovative, tailored solutions. In the Philippines, a country with abundant water resources but struggling with water treatment and distribution, projects like the Philippine Water Supply and Sanitation Master Plan are making a difference.

Partnerships in the Philippines focus on connecting waterless rural households and sometimes entire municipalities to water treatment facilities and transmission pipelines. These efforts are supported by microfinance solutions that help households afford water connections and sanitation improvements.

For countries with higher rural access to safe drinking water, the goal is to sustain and improve everyone’s access to clean water, especially with increasing population, urbanization, and growing industrial demand.

Overall, urban areas in Asia and the Pacific may seem better placed when it comes to access to safe water, but the reality is that millions of people in both urban and rural settings continue to lack safe, reliable drinking water services. The rural-urban divide in water access reflects broader inequalities that go beyond geography, economic, social, and environmental challenges.

These inequalities must be addressed if the populations of Asia and the Pacific are to achieve safe and universal water access. Collaborative efforts, microfinance initiatives, and local innovations are needed to close the gap completely. Bridging the divide is essential for improving health and longevity, and to boost prosperity in cities and the countryside.