|
|
Singapore's experiences in sustainable water management |
 |
+ |
- |
16:49, August 24, 2007 |
 | | Stockholm Water Foundation presents the industry water prize to Mr. Kyoo Teng Chye(right),Chief Executive of PUB Singapore. |
|
|
Singapore's Public Utilities Board or PUB has won the Stockholm Industry Water Prize during this year's World Water Week. From a country with water shortage and pollution in rivers to a country which can provide sustainable supply of safe drinking water and sanitation to 100% of the population, from experiencing a lot of floods to realizing 100% metered water supply system, from the monthly bill collection efficiency of 99% to enjoying the beauty of water, Singapore's PUB is rated in the top 5% of all the urban water utilities of the world in terms of its performance, water expert professor Asit Biswas who was also last year's Stockholm Water Prize winner concluded. What has Singapore done to make such achievements? People's Daily correspondents had an exclusive interview with the PUB Chief Executive Khoo Teng Chye during the recent water week.
A small country has a big ambition
Khoo Teng Chye said Singapore is a city state with an area of 700 square kilometers and a population of 4.4 million. Singapore is densely populated and had all the problems of water—shortage of water, flooding and water pollution in the 1960s and 1970s. Singapore has to spend high price to buy water from neighboring country Malaysia.
How to achieve sustainable supply of water? This is a big ambition.
Khoo Teng Chye said thanks to former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew who challenged the public sector about the water issue, Singapore began to clean up its rivers from 1977 to 1987. With this ten year coordinated program with environment and land sectors, they made the rivers clean.
"The cleaning up is really an issue of managing the water. Cleaning up is easy, but how to make sure the sewage not go into the river again is very difficult. One must have plans and at political level, the government must be able to persuade people, to move the people and for the people who are affected, you must provide housing for them.”
Khoo Teng Chye said to prevent pollution, people must know where is the source of the pollution.
"If the source is from sewage, then you must put in the sewage system and if the pollution comes from households and the houses are too old, then you must demolish the houses and build new houses. As for factories, you must require them to put in pollution control methods to avoid discharging polluted water into the rivers.”
In addition, agricultural activities also cost a lot of water, so they limited agriculture. By now, Singapore's agriculture becomes a very small proportion of the economy.
And a lot of public campaigns about water conservation and education are also conducted in order to raise people's awareness.
For example in Newater company, there is a visitor center to explain to people what technology they use for water so that people understand how the water is produced here.
More reservoirs and more catchment
Singapore did not have enough water because there isn't enough land to collect rain water. So they built a lot of reservoirs. So far 14 reservoirs have been built. And half of the country has become water catchment.
"We want to be sure that in Singapore, everywhere will become a water catchment. You know when there is rainfall, water can be collected and stored and treated for drinking. But then you must have a coordinated planning, you have to put in environmental controls, separate system to collect water of rain and water from the sewage.” Said Mr. Khoo.
By next year another two reservoirs will be completed and a Barrage will be built too. By then, two thirds of Singapore's land will become water catchment.
To tackle flood problem, they put in draining systems and working together with land sector and build up lands so that they can make use of flood.
All these efforts are based on the belief that dirty rivers wouldn't attract investors. In order to attract investors, they must clean up the rivers. According to Mr. Khoo.
"By 1987, our rivers had become cleaner, fishes had come back. We overcame the problem of water pollution. By the end of the 20th century, we have solved all these problems of shortage and floods. But then we asked ourselves, is this sustainable because it is not just solving the problem for now, but 100 years from now, will we be able to continue to do so well?” asked Mr. Kyoo.
[1] [2] [3]
|
|
|
Comment
Tell A Friend
Print Format
Save Article