POLLUTED drinking water will kill around 1.6 million people this year unless governments make a concerted effort to clean up their supplies, a World Health Organization (WHO) official warned in a report published Monday.

More than 4,000 people die every day from water-borne diseases, said James Bertram, coordinator of WHO's Water, Sanitation and Health Programme.

The death toll is not confined to developing nations. 'It's a problem plaguing all countries, developed and undeveloped,' The Straits times quoted Bertram as saying ahead of Singapore's International Water Week, which starts Tuesday.

Governments must anticipate long-term water shortages caused by rising demand and climate change, he said.

The Asian Development Bank estimates that 700 people in the region lack access to safe drinking water.