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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND WATERPUB Singapore’s efforts inadvancing water cooperationMs Quek Ai Choo, Deputy Director; Mr Bernard Tan, Senior Assistant Director;Mr Yeo Sheng Wei, Senior Manager; Ms Nawwar Syahirah, Communications Executive, PUB, SingaporeThe United Nations has declared 2013 as the InternationalYear of Water Cooperation. This declaration is especiallypertinent because water management transcendsgeographical, cultural and physical boundaries. Many countriesshare a common, critical interest in water – for example theUSA and Mexico, or Singapore and Malaysia. Within a country,it is just as important for governments to work with theirpeople, the private and public sectors and the global communityat large, to deliver sustainable solutions for water supply.PUB engages schools from the primary level to cultivate students as waterconservation advocatesImage: PUBDuring his visit to Singapore in 2012 Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary Generalof the United Nations, made two points on water. Firstly, on thesubject of cooperation, he said that “no single country can solve theworld’s problems by itself.” Secondly, after his visit to Singapore’sNEWater Visitor Centre, he remarked that “such Singaporean experienceand know-how (in water recycling) … should be shared bymany countries which have water scarcity problems.” The underlyingmessage is clear: it is important for the global watercommunity to come together, cooperate and co-createinnovative solutions to solve our water challenges.Singapore’s achievements in water today did not comeby chance. According to the United Nations WorldWater Development Report, Singapore is ranked 170in a list of 190 countries in terms of freshwater availability.Just a few decades ago, Singapore had only twowater supply sources – imported water from Malaysiaand local catchment water. In terms of sanitation, notall homes were sewered and high volumes of water wereunaccounted for. Today, Singapore enjoys a diversifiedand robust water supply through the ‘Four NationalTaps’ – local catchment water; imported water; ultraclean,high-grade reclaimed water known as NEWater;and desalinated water. The water in Singapore is wellwithin the World Health Organization’s guidelines fordrinking-water quality and is safe to drink directlyfrom the tap. Singapore also has one of the lowestunaccounted-for-water rates in the world, and it is fullyserved by modern sanitation. This was achieved onlythrough the strong political will of its leaders, goodwater governance and working closely with its partners.As Singapore’s national water agency, PUB is responsiblefor the management of the entire water loop, fromstormwater management to potable water supply, usedwater collection and treatment, water reclamation andseawater desalination. PUB’s water management strategycan be summed up by its corporate tagline: ‘Waterfor all: Conserve, Value, Enjoy’. ‘Water for all’ refers toPUB’s supply strategy which entails integrated planning,implementing water infrastructure ahead of demand andeffective use of new technology to bring Singaporeans arobust and reliable water supply. However, installing theinfrastructure to supply water is only one half of the equation.As the population and economy continue to grow,Singapore needs to ensure that the demand for water doesnot rise at an unsustainable rate. Achieving a sustainablelevel of water consumption and managing the impact ofwater on the environment takes the commitment andparticipation of the community. This is encapsulated inthe second half of the tagline – ‘Conserve, Value, Enjoy’– which underscores PUB’s focus on water conservationand efforts to bring the people closer to water so that theycould enjoy and cherish this precious resource.[ 271 ]