Water is no longer a passive victim of climate change — it is becoming the driving force for adaptation. In this interview, Prof Khoo Teng Chye shares how the Southeast Asia Partnership for Adaptation through Water (SEAPAW) is reframing water as a catalyst for climate resilience.
Prof Khoo Teng Chye, chairperson, SEAPAW and senior advisor, NUS Cities (Image: Singapore International Foundation)
Southeast Asia’s climate crisis is largely a water crisis. “More than 90% of extreme weather events in our region — from floods and droughts to sea-level rise — are water-related,” said Prof Khoo Teng Chye, chairperson of the Southeast Asia Partnership for Adaptation through Water (SEAPAW) and senior advisor at NUS Cities.
SEAPAW, the first multi-stakeholder platform in Southeast Asia focused on water-led climate adaptation, was convened by the Singapore International Foundation (SIF) in collaboration with the World Economic Forum. It brings together governments, philanthropies, financial institutions, knowledge partners, and solution providers to drive a water-first approach to climate resilience.
“Water is not just a climate risk — it is also a climate solution,” said Prof Khoo. “Because it connects across sectors and borders, water offers a practical and unifying entry point for action. SEAPAW is designed to catalyse collaborative action and translate strategies into implementable outcomes.”
From roadblocks to roadmaps: A regional agenda for adaptation
Despite growing awareness, cross-sector collaboration on water resilience remains difficult. In response, SEAPAW worked with Boston Consulting Group to produce Adaptation through Water: Mobilising the Private Sector for Climate Adaptation in Southeast Asia — a regional report that identifies key barriers and proposes practical ways forward.
Among the challenges: a limited pipeline of investment-ready projects, unclear commercial returns, mismatched financing instruments, regulatory fragmentation, and uneven technical capacity. These obstacles, Prof Khoo noted, are not insurmountable.
“The report now serves as a strategic reference for our working groups,” he explained. “It outlines where the private sector can invest or co-develop solutions — from flood resilience and circular water use, to scaling nature-based and technology-enabled solutions.”
The report also aligns SEAPAW’s agenda with global frameworks, including the Global Commission on the Economics of Water’s five missions — particularly in valuing water appropriately and delivering resilience and justice.
Coalition building through trust, shared priorities
With such a broad and diverse coalition — from city planners to solution providers — how does SEAPAW align interests and maintain impact?
“No single sector can solve the adaptation challenge alone,” said Prof Khoo. “SEAPAW was built on that principle.”
Through its secretariat, jointly run by the SIF and the Forum, SEAPAW facilitates structured dialogues that enable participants to identify shared priorities and co-develop solutions. Grounding ideas in local realities, while recognising regional commonalities, ensures relevance and adaptability.
“Trust, joint ownership, and continuous engagement are key to sustaining momentum,” he said.
What success looks like: Water resilience embedded in development
Looking ahead, Prof Khoo envisions a future where water resilience is embedded in both policy and practice across the region.
“In five years, we hope water resilience is treated as integral to national development strategies — the way energy transition is now widely recognised,” he said. “That means adaptation should not be seen as a side effort, but as essential infrastructure.”
SEAPAW aims to catalyse pilot projects and scale them across the region. Examples include expanding clean water access in rural Sarawak using modular, renewable-powered treatment units, enhancing rice cultivation through improved irrigation and soil management, and piloting urban flood resilience projects.
“These efforts, once proven, can serve as case studies and be scaled with support from blended finance,” he said. “If governments start systematically integrating water resilience into infrastructure planning — and if adaptation investment receives the same seriousness as mitigation — we’ll know we’re making real progress.”
Integrating resilience into cities: Planning beyond pipes
As Southeast Asia’s cities continue to grow, the challenge of climate adaptation intensifies — and water resilience must be core to urban development.
“Cities need systems-based approaches that link water management to housing, infrastructure, and public health,” said Prof Khoo. “It’s not just about pipes. It’s about designing urban systems that deliver multiple benefits.”
Nature-based solutions and technology — such as green infrastructure and AI-enabled water management — will be critical, particularly in dense city environments. But just as important, he emphasised, is early collaboration among planners, utilities, developers, and financiers.
This philosophy is reflected in the Adaptation through Water (AtW) approach outlined in SEAPAW’s report. AtW places water at the centre of both natural and engineered cycles, unlocking opportunities for private sector investment in resource efficiency, forecasting, and innovative financing models.
“We must stop treating adaptation as reactive,” he said. “With data, partnerships, and political will, Southeast Asia can lead in water-led climate resilience.”
