Another big environment conference has also opened in the southern Japanese city of Beppu -- the first ever Asia-Pacific Water Summit. Top of the agenda are water shortages, water-related natural disasters and the affects of global warming. According to the summit's steering committee report, some 700 million people in the region don't have access to safe drinking water, while over a billion people lack hygienic toilet facilities.
In some Asian countries, more children die of water-related diseases than of AIDS, measles or tuberculosisImage: AP
