Prof Tommy Koh's Closing Remarks at WLS
24 June 2009
Prof Tommy Koh's Closing Remarks at WLS
What has been the most important development of the past 12 months? It is, without question, the global financial and economic crisis. I see one silver lining in the dark clouds. It is that almost every country affected by the crisis has enacted stimulus packages to slow the recession and to stimulate demand. Some governments, such as China, has devoted a significant share of their stimulus packages to new water infrastructure. I would like to appeal to governments, which have not done so, to emulate their good example. We were gratified to hear from the President of ADB, Mr Haruhiko Kuroda and the Vice-President of the World Bank, Mr James Adams that their institutions have increased their funding for water and sanitation projects at a time when private credit is hard to raise. We should however, think beyond the current economic crisis and continue to create conducive conditions for the private sector to participate in the provision of water and sanitation services.
A year has passed since we last met. This means that we are one year nearer the target year, 2015, for achieving the Millenium Development Goal No. 7 and Targets No. 10 for water and sanitation. Are we on track to achieving our target, of reducing by half, the number of people in our countries without access to safe drinking water and improved sanitation? I have both good news and bad news. The good news is that on water, many countries, such as ASEAN and China, are likely to achieve the target. In 2008 alone, China made safe drinking water available to an additional 48 million Chinese in rural China. The bad news is that on sanitation, commensurate progress has not been achieved. In fact, the situation in Asia is nothing short of scandalous. HRH Prince Willem-Alexander has urged us to give sanitation a higher priority and said that for every dollar invested in sanitation the payback is nine dollars. The Prince has highlighted the fact that because of poor sanitation and contaminated water, the biggest threat to the health of children is diarrhoea. A colleague from UNESCO has, however, pointed out that there is a possible contradiction between MDG goal no. 7, environmental sustainability and MDG target no. 10 on water and sanitation. What he meant is that if we continue to rely on flush toilets and do not separate the solid from the liquid human waste, we will end up with a big problem of waste water. If waste water is not treated, it will contaminate the environment. The treatment of waste water should therefore be on our agenda.
We have learned the importance of harnessing the power of science and technology in solving our water problems. Last year, the LKY Water Prize was conferred on Dr Andrew Benedek for his pioneering work on low pressure membrane technology. His achievements have made a difference to the recycling of waste water into clean water. This year, the LKY Water Prize honours another scientist, Prof Gatze Lettinga, for his scientific achievements in an anaerobic technology in the treatment of used water. In simple layman’s language, Prof Lettinga has pioneered the use of “good bugs”, in an environment without oxygen, to remove pollutants in used water. This technology uses less energy than the conventional (aerobic) technology. A by-product of the process, methane gas, can be harnessed for positive use as a source of energy. In an act of unprecedented generosity, Prof Lettinga has not patented his discovery so that it is available, for free, to the whole world. Prof Lettinga’s inventions, when applied in a holistic way, to concepts such as a “green village” may hold one of the keys to our dream of living in harmony with nature.
One learning point from the 1st SIWW was that, for most parts of Asia, the water problem was not due to an absolute shortage of water but to poor governance. The problem could be solved with good governance and better management practices. The problems include antiquated infrastructure, poor maintenance, corruption and bad leadership. This truth is as valid in 2009 as it was in 2008. The Institute of Water Policy, at the LKY School, will champion good water governance and management practices in Asia. I am glad that the Institute is holding a workshop on water governance on Thursday, 25 June. The workshop will try to translate some of the learning points emerging frm the SIWW – Water Leaders Summit into solutions. I urge you to consider attending it.
In April 2009, the New York-based Asia Society issued an important report on Water Security in Asia. I had the honour of chairing the Leadership group which authored the report. The most important contribution of the report is that water is not just an economic issue or a human welfare issue or an environmental issue. It is also a “security” issue. The report “highlights the significance of water as a source of livelihoods, a vector of pathogens, a potent force behind extreme events and natural disasters and also a mechanism for cooperation among governments and communities.” In the case of international rivers, of which there are many in Asia, water could either be a source of conflict between neighbouring states or a shared resource which inspires cooperation and mutual benefit.
From Rountable 1, ably chaired by Lisa Henthorne, I have imbibed three points. The first point is that at the 2009 World Water Forum, in Istanbul, the mayors of the world adopted a new initiative called the Istanbul Water Consensus. The initiative has already been signed by two hundred and seventy mayors. They will develop an action plan, set targets and report on their achievements to the next World Water Forum. The second point is about recovering the cost of water. It is clear that there is no international consensus on this issue. In some countries, water is regarded as a public good and is available for free. In other countries, it is heavily subsidised by taxpayers. In countries such as Singapore, water is not subsidised and is sold to domestic consumers at full cost. This has not created hardship for our lower income families. I want to also make a comment about water leakage. A member of Roundtable 1 said that developing countries cannot afford to reduce the percentage of leakage below 20 percent. I would respectfully point out that the Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority has succeeded in reducing its water leakage to below 10 percent.
As for Roundtable 2, I will simply adopt the excellent summary by David Garman. I wish however to record my debt to Lord Ronald Oxburgh, Dr Andrew Benedek and Tom Searle for the three wisdoms I have learnt from them. I agree with Lord Oxburgh that water, energy, food and waste should not be treated in their respective silos but should be dealt with in a holistic manner and as one integral whole. I was impressed by Dr Andrew Benedek’s comments that if he were to start again as a young researcher, he would focus his research on agriculture. Agriculture accounts for 70 percent of the world’s utilisation of water. Less than 50 percent of the water used in irrigation actually reaches the roots of the plants. Therefore, a breakthrough in the efficient use of water in agriculture would bring about a paradigm shift in the water landscape of the world. I thank Tom Searle for sharing with us the American story. The wisdom of the American story is that if you wish to make a fundamental progress in the field of water, you should invest in all the four links of the value chain, namely, people, asset, innovation and management.
Thank you very much.
Prof Tommy Koh's Closing Remarks at WLS
What has been the most important development of the past 12 months? It is, without question, the global financial and economic crisis. I see one silver lining in the dark clouds. It is that almost every country affected by the crisis has enacted stimulus packages to slow the recession and to stimulate demand. Some governments, such as China, has devoted a significant share of their stimulus packages to new water infrastructure. I would like to appeal to governments, which have not done so, to emulate their good example. We were gratified to hear from the President of ADB, Mr Haruhiko Kuroda and the Vice-President of the World Bank, Mr James Adams that their institutions have increased their funding for water and sanitation projects at a time when private credit is hard to raise. We should however, think beyond the current economic crisis and continue to create conducive conditions for the private sector to participate in the provision of water and sanitation services.
A year has passed since we last met. This means that we are one year nearer the target year, 2015, for achieving the Millenium Development Goal No. 7 and Targets No. 10 for water and sanitation. Are we on track to achieving our target, of reducing by half, the number of people in our countries without access to safe drinking water and improved sanitation? I have both good news and bad news. The good news is that on water, many countries, such as ASEAN and China, are likely to achieve the target. In 2008 alone, China made safe drinking water available to an additional 48 million Chinese in rural China. The bad news is that on sanitation, commensurate progress has not been achieved. In fact, the situation in Asia is nothing short of scandalous. HRH Prince Willem-Alexander has urged us to give sanitation a higher priority and said that for every dollar invested in sanitation the payback is nine dollars. The Prince has highlighted the fact that because of poor sanitation and contaminated water, the biggest threat to the health of children is diarrhoea. A colleague from UNESCO has, however, pointed out that there is a possible contradiction between MDG goal no. 7, environmental sustainability and MDG target no. 10 on water and sanitation. What he meant is that if we continue to rely on flush toilets and do not separate the solid from the liquid human waste, we will end up with a big problem of waste water. If waste water is not treated, it will contaminate the environment. The treatment of waste water should therefore be on our agenda.
We have learned the importance of harnessing the power of science and technology in solving our water problems. Last year, the LKY Water Prize was conferred on Dr Andrew Benedek for his pioneering work on low pressure membrane technology. His achievements have made a difference to the recycling of waste water into clean water. This year, the LKY Water Prize honours another scientist, Prof Gatze Lettinga, for his scientific achievements in an anaerobic technology in the treatment of used water. In simple layman’s language, Prof Lettinga has pioneered the use of “good bugs”, in an environment without oxygen, to remove pollutants in used water. This technology uses less energy than the conventional (aerobic) technology. A by-product of the process, methane gas, can be harnessed for positive use as a source of energy. In an act of unprecedented generosity, Prof Lettinga has not patented his discovery so that it is available, for free, to the whole world. Prof Lettinga’s inventions, when applied in a holistic way, to concepts such as a “green village” may hold one of the keys to our dream of living in harmony with nature.
One learning point from the 1st SIWW was that, for most parts of Asia, the water problem was not due to an absolute shortage of water but to poor governance. The problem could be solved with good governance and better management practices. The problems include antiquated infrastructure, poor maintenance, corruption and bad leadership. This truth is as valid in 2009 as it was in 2008. The Institute of Water Policy, at the LKY School, will champion good water governance and management practices in Asia. I am glad that the Institute is holding a workshop on water governance on Thursday, 25 June. The workshop will try to translate some of the learning points emerging frm the SIWW – Water Leaders Summit into solutions. I urge you to consider attending it.
In April 2009, the New York-based Asia Society issued an important report on Water Security in Asia. I had the honour of chairing the Leadership group which authored the report. The most important contribution of the report is that water is not just an economic issue or a human welfare issue or an environmental issue. It is also a “security” issue. The report “highlights the significance of water as a source of livelihoods, a vector of pathogens, a potent force behind extreme events and natural disasters and also a mechanism for cooperation among governments and communities.” In the case of international rivers, of which there are many in Asia, water could either be a source of conflict between neighbouring states or a shared resource which inspires cooperation and mutual benefit.
From Rountable 1, ably chaired by Lisa Henthorne, I have imbibed three points. The first point is that at the 2009 World Water Forum, in Istanbul, the mayors of the world adopted a new initiative called the Istanbul Water Consensus. The initiative has already been signed by two hundred and seventy mayors. They will develop an action plan, set targets and report on their achievements to the next World Water Forum. The second point is about recovering the cost of water. It is clear that there is no international consensus on this issue. In some countries, water is regarded as a public good and is available for free. In other countries, it is heavily subsidised by taxpayers. In countries such as Singapore, water is not subsidised and is sold to domestic consumers at full cost. This has not created hardship for our lower income families. I want to also make a comment about water leakage. A member of Roundtable 1 said that developing countries cannot afford to reduce the percentage of leakage below 20 percent. I would respectfully point out that the Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority has succeeded in reducing its water leakage to below 10 percent.
As for Roundtable 2, I will simply adopt the excellent summary by David Garman. I wish however to record my debt to Lord Ronald Oxburgh, Dr Andrew Benedek and Tom Searle for the three wisdoms I have learnt from them. I agree with Lord Oxburgh that water, energy, food and waste should not be treated in their respective silos but should be dealt with in a holistic manner and as one integral whole. I was impressed by Dr Andrew Benedek’s comments that if he were to start again as a young researcher, he would focus his research on agriculture. Agriculture accounts for 70 percent of the world’s utilisation of water. Less than 50 percent of the water used in irrigation actually reaches the roots of the plants. Therefore, a breakthrough in the efficient use of water in agriculture would bring about a paradigm shift in the water landscape of the world. I thank Tom Searle for sharing with us the American story. The wisdom of the American story is that if you wish to make a fundamental progress in the field of water, you should invest in all the four links of the value chain, namely, people, asset, innovation and management.
Thank you very much.
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