Urbanisation, industrialisation, population growth and climate change were likely to put a strain on the region's water resources, it said.

But Asia had also developed the expertise and the technology to ensure there was enough water for its people, the study published in Singapore said.

The key was putting in place the right practices and policies to manage the precious resource, said the report entitled "Asian Water Development Outlook."

"It is likely that if there will be a water crisis in the future, it will not come because of actual physical scarcity of water, as many predict at present," said expert Asit Biswas, one of the report's authors.

Any future water crises would likely be sparked by "continuing neglect of proper wastewater management practices," he wrote.

"Continuation of the present trend will make available water sources increasingly more contaminated and will make provision of clean water more and more expensive, as well as more complex and difficult to manage."

But the report said that "there is now enough knowledge, technology and expertise available in Asia to solve all its existing and future water problems."

Although major changes in water governance practices were required, Asia can boast of some success stories, it said, such as Singapore's water management system, described as one of the world's best.

The Manila-based Asian Development Bank said it hoped the report would focus high-level attention on the need to invest in the water sector.

The report was submitted to the Asia-Pacific Water Forum, which is organising the first Asia-Pacific Water Summit in Beppu, Japan next week.

One issue was the use of water in Asia's energy sector, the study said, since electricity generation typically needs it.

Asian electricity consumption is rising between five percent and eight percent annually, so there is a need to include the water needs of the energy sector in national policies, it added.

The study said "not one Asian developing country has seriously assessed the current and future water requirements of its energy sector."

The rising popularity of biofuels as an alternative energy source also had implications for water resources, the report said.

"Asian biofuel production will require more and more water if this subsector expands as expected," it said.

More use of pesticides and fertilizers to improve biofuel crop yields could lead to the pollution of surrounding water, the report added.

But "as of now, virtually no country has carefully analysed the water, land and social implications of increasing biofuel production and then made appropriate policy decisions," it said.

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