Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, Singapore

Date Published: 30 Jun 2010

Ladies and gentlemen

It is my pleasure to be here today. I would like to thank the Waterways Watch Society, Dunman High School and PUB, the national water agency, for organising this year's Asian Water Symposium 2010.

Youths are important stakeholders in ensuring the sustainability of Singapore’s water resources to meet all our needs. Through this symposium, I hope you will have a better understanding of Singapore’s efforts to establish and sustain a clean water supply. It is also my hope that you will be challenged and inspired to do your part to protect and conserve our water resources.

Overcoming Constraints and Obstacles

Some 900 million people around the globe live without access to clean drinking water. In Singapore, everyone enjoys clean drinking water, accessible with a simple turn of the tap. This is no mean feat, considering that Singapore is a small densely-populated island state with many other competing needs for our limited land. Although we get a lot of rain, about 2,400mm annually, we have limited land to collect and store the water, and there are no other natural sources of water like groundwater aquifers.

To achieve this, we have diversified our supply sources over the years and introduced policies to conserve water.

Today, PUB manages all aspects of the water cycle in an integrated manner, from sourcing, collection, purification and supply of drinking water, to the treatment of used water and its reclamation into NEWater.

Four National Taps Provide Water For All

By investing in water technologies and R&D, Singapore has put in place a long-term water supply strategy known as the Four National Taps. The Four National Taps comprise four different sources of water: water from local catchments, imported water from Malaysia, NEWater and desalinated water.

Singapore was one of the first in the world to tap rainwater from urbanised catchments on a large scale in the mid-80s. With the completion of Marina Reservoir and two other upcoming reservoirs at Punggol and Serangoon, Singapore’s water catchment area will increase from half to two-thirds of Singapore’s land area.

We have also leveraged on membrane technology to develop NEWater, augmenting our water supply while allowing us to be more resilient to weather variability.

NEWater is supplied primarily to wafer fabrication parks, industrial estates and commercial buildings for industrial and air-conditioning purposes. Today, NEWater can meet up to 30% of Singapore's current water needs.

Desalinated water, our Fourth National Tap, started flowing in 2005. The SingSpring desalination plant in Tuas can supply up to 10% of our current water demand.

The Four National Taps strategy ensures a robust and sustainable supply to meet Singapore’s long-term water needs.

3P Approach in Engaging the Community

Achieving an adequate and affordable water supply is only half the story. Equally important is the need for all water stakeholders to help manage water demand and ensure our water resources are managed in a sustainable way.

PUB adopts what we call a 3P approach to engage the people, public, and private sectors. Through a series of outreach programmes and initiatives, we actively engage the 3P partners to (a) conserve water, (b) keep water catchments and waterways clean, and (c) build a closer relationship with water by participating in and enjoying water activities.

Water Conservation

Water conservation is a way of life, and everyone has a part to play. We have made some headway, as can be seen from Singapore's per capita household water consumption, which has come down from 165 litres a day in 2003 to the current 155 litres a day. Nonetheless, there is still room for us to do better. Under the Sustainable Singapore Blueprint, a document that outlines Singapore’s key goals and initiatives for sustainable development in the next 10 to 20 years, we aim to reduce water consumption to 140 litres a day by 2030.

I am happy to note that our schools are actively involved in water conservation. Dunman High School was PUB’s first Friend of Water and received the Watermark Award in 2007 for their efforts in raising awareness about conserving water. Commonwealth Secondary School, a recipient of the President's Award for the Environment in 2009, converted its school pond into a Constructed Treatment Wetland. The wetland recycles grey water to serve as an outdoor classroom in support of the school’s environmental education programme.

Outside of school, every individual can also help to conserve water by practicing good water saving habits at home. This includes taking shorter showers and using half flush when flushing liquid waste.

Keeping water catchments and waterways clean

As part of the effort to make Singapore a better home for all of us, PUB launched the Active, Beautiful and Clean Waters or ABC Waters Programme in 2006.

By transforming our drainage network from utilitarian engineering structures into beautiful and vibrant streams, rivers and lakes, we hope people will be encouraged to take part in water activities. In so doing, people can get closer to water and take joint ownership of this precious resource.

Three projects at Kolam Ayer, MacRitchie and Bedok Reservoir have already been completed, and another 10 will be completed this year. With the ABC Waters programme, we aspire to make Singapore a city of gardens and waters. Under the Sustainable Singapore Blueprint, we aim to open up 900 hectares of reservoir spaces and 100 kilometres of waterways for various activities, such as kayaking, dragon boating, and other waterfront activities.

Creating beautiful rivers and lakes is just the first step. The key to the success of the ABC Waters Programme is active participation from the community.

To date, 52 schools have responded by adopting the waterways, to help monitor their cleanliness and provide feedback on water pollution to PUB. The latest school to join us is Nanyang Polytechnic, which adopted Lower Seletar Reservoir on 27 June.

Community efforts are essential in supporting our initiatives through raising public awareness on the importance of water conservation. The Waterways Watch Society has taken the initiative to introduce an internet campaign, "Movement 364”, a Facebook fan page which aims to encourage youths to be mindful that water sustainability is an everyday commitment. This will be launched in the coming months. I encourage you to support this campaign and contribute your experience as individual champions to help realize a better environment for our future.

Co-located event with the Singapore International Water Week

This week is the Singapore International Water Week (SIWW), the global platform for water solutions. Now into its third year, the SIWW brings together policymakers, industry leaders, experts and practitioners to address challenges, showcase technologies, discover business opportunities and celebrate achievements in the water world. Themed “Sustainable Cities –Clean and Affordable Water”, the Singapore International Water Week 2010 focuses on the need for efficiency in water solutions, and will host more than 450 participating companies from around the world.

We are not only focusing on trade visitors this year. In 2010, SIWW will see schools, students and community members coming forward to play their part for water through various community events.

This Symposium, as a co-located event under SIWW, will introduce to you “the science of water management”, “the challenges faced by Asian societies on a macro scale” and “the infrastructure that Singapore has put in place to ensure self-sufficiency in water”. I hope you will be inspired by the speakers to think of creative strategies to contribute to the future of Water Resource Management in Singapore and beyond.

Closing Comments

I encourage you to contribute your ideas, dynamism and energy in working with your schools, grassroots, non-governmental and corporate organizations to take joint ownership of Singapore’s Water Management.

I look forward to an engaging dialogue session with you later.

Thank you.


	Date Published: 30 Jun 2010 Ladies and gentlemen It is my pleasure to be here today. I would like to thank the Waterways Watch Society, Dunman High School and PUB, the national water agency, for organising this year's Asian Water Symposium 2010. Youths are important stakeholders in ensuring the sustainability of Singapore’s water resources to meet all our needs. Through this symposium, I hope you will have a better understanding of Singapore’s efforts to establish and sustain a clean water supply. It is also my hope that you will be challenged and inspired to do your part to protect and conserve our water resources. Overcoming Constraints and Obstacles Some 900 million people around the globe live without access to clean drinking water. In Singapore, everyone enjoys clean drinking water, accessible with a simple turn of the tap. This is no mean feat, considering that Singapore is a small densely-populated island state with many other competing needs for our limited land. Although we get a lot of rain, about 2,400mm annually, we have limited land to collect and store the water, and there are no other natural sources of water like groundwater aquifers. To achieve this, we have diversified our supply sources over the years and introduced policies to conserve water. Today, PUB manages all aspects of the water cycle in an integrated manner, from sourcing, collection, purification and supply of drinking water, to the treatment of used water and its reclamation into NEWater. Four National Taps Provide Water For All By investing in water technologies and R&D, Singapore has put in place a long-term water supply strategy known as the Four National Taps. The Four National Taps comprise four different sources of water: water from local catchments, imported water from Malaysia, NEWater and desalinated water. Singapore was one of the first in the world to tap rainwater from urbanised catchments on a large scale in the mid-80s. With the completion of Marina Reservoir and two other upcoming reservoirs at Punggol and Serangoon, Singapore’s water catchment area will increase from half to two-thirds of Singapore’s land area. We have also leveraged on membrane technology to develop NEWater, augmenting our water supply while allowing us to be more resilient to weather variability. NEWater is supplied primarily to wafer fabrication parks, industrial estates and commercial buildings for industrial and air-conditioning purposes. Today, NEWater can meet up to 30% of Singapore's current water needs. Desalinated water, our Fourth National Tap, started flowing in 2005. The SingSpring desalination plant in Tuas can supply up to 10% of our current water demand. The Four National Taps strategy ensures a robust and sustainable supply to meet Singapore’s long-term water needs. 3P Approach in Engaging the Community Achieving an adequate and affordable water supply is only half the story. Equally important is the need for all water stakeholders to help manage water demand and ensure our water resources are managed in a sustainable way. PUB adopts what we call a 3P approach to engage the people, public, and private sectors. Through a series of outreach programmes and initiatives, we actively engage the 3P partners to (a) conserve water, (b) keep water catchments and waterways clean, and (c) build a closer relationship with water by participating in and enjoying water activities. Water Conservation Water conservation is a way of life, and everyone has a part to play. We have made some headway, as can be seen from Singapore's per capita household water consumption, which has come down from 165 litres a day in 2003 to the current 155 litres a day. Nonetheless, there is still room for us to do better. Under the Sustainable Singapore Blueprint, a document that outlines Singapore’s key goals and initiatives for sustainable development in the next 10 to 20 years, we aim to reduce water consumption to 140 litres a day by 2030. I am happy to note that our schools are actively involved in water conservation. Dunman High School was PUB’s first Friend of Water and received the Watermark Award in 2007 for their efforts in raising awareness about conserving water. Commonwealth Secondary School, a recipient of the President's Award for the Environment in 2009, converted its school pond into a Constructed Treatment Wetland. The wetland recycles grey water to serve as an outdoor classroom in support of the school’s environmental education programme. Outside of school, every individual can also help to conserve water by practicing good water saving habits at home. This includes taking shorter showers and using half flush when flushing liquid waste. Keeping water catchments and waterways clean As part of the effort to make Singapore a better home for all of us, PUB launched the Active, Beautiful and Clean Waters or ABC Waters Programme in 2006. By transforming our drainage network from utilitarian engineering structures into beautiful and vibrant streams, rivers and lakes, we hope people will be encouraged to take part in water activities. In so doing, people can get closer to water and take joint ownership of this precious resource. Three projects at Kolam Ayer, MacRitchie and Bedok Reservoir have already been completed, and another 10 will be completed this year. With the ABC Waters programme, we aspire to make Singapore a city of gardens and waters. Under the Sustainable Singapore Blueprint, we aim to open up 900 hectares of reservoir spaces and 100 kilometres of waterways for various activities, such as kayaking, dragon boating, and other waterfront activities. Creating beautiful rivers and lakes is just the first step. The key to the success of the ABC Waters Programme is active participation from the community. To date, 52 schools have responded by adopting the waterways, to help monitor their cleanliness and provide feedback on water pollution to PUB. The latest school to join us is Nanyang Polytechnic, which adopted Lower Seletar Reservoir on 27 June. Community efforts are essential in supporting our initiatives through raising public awareness on the importance of water conservation. The Waterways Watch Society has taken the initiative to introduce an internet campaign, "Movement 364”, a Facebook fan page which aims to encourage youths to be mindful that water sustainability is an everyday commitment. This will be launched in the coming months. I encourage you to support this campaign and contribute your experience as individual champions to help realize a better environment for our future. Co-located event with the Singapore International Water Week This week is the Singapore International Water Week (SIWW), the global platform for water solutions. Now into its third year, the SIWW brings together policymakers, industry leaders, experts and practitioners to address challenges, showcase technologies, discover business opportunities and celebrate achievements in the water world. Themed “Sustainable Cities –Clean and Affordable Water”, the Singapore International Water Week 2010 focuses on the need for efficiency in water solutions, and will host more than 450 participating companies from around the world. We are not only focusing on trade visitors this year. In 2010, SIWW will see schools, students and community members coming forward to play their part for water through various community events. This Symposium, as a co-located event under SIWW, will introduce to you “the science of water management”, “the challenges faced by Asian societies on a macro scale” and “the infrastructure that Singapore has put in place to ensure self-sufficiency in water”. I hope you will be inspired by the speakers to think of creative strategies to contribute to the future of Water Resource Management in Singapore and beyond. Closing Comments I encourage you to contribute your ideas, dynamism and energy in working with your schools, grassroots, non-governmental and corporate organizations to take joint ownership of Singapore’s Water Management. I look forward to an engaging dialogue session with you later. Thank you.