SM Jayakumar speech at SIWW Opening
22 June 2009
SM Jayakumar Speech at SIWW Opening
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
Let me welcome everyone here for the opening ceremony of the Singapore International Water Week 2009.
The Sustainable Development Challenge
Today, all major cities and communities around the world face sustainable development challenges. Cities enjoy economies of scale and potential for creativity arising from concentrated human activity. At the same time, they face many issues such as housing needs, public health, congestion, access to clean water and sanitation. Cities will have to grapple with these challenges within the constraints of finite financial and other resources like energy, raw materials and water. On top of this, climate change is introducing new uncertainties for human civilisation. Although scientific opinion is divided on climate change issues, what is clear is that the onset of extreme weather patterns will have a significant impact on the world’s distribution of fresh potable water and food supplies.
To date, about one billion people still lack access to clean drinking water and some 2.5 billion people mainly from the developing world, still lack access to improved sanitation. Even cities that have met the challenges of providing access to clean water and sanitation will face the increasing strain of growing population on their water resources.
Over the last fifty years, the population living in cities has more than quadrupled. By 2030, some 60% of the world’s population (or close to five billion people) will live in cities. Sustainable Development therefore will become a bigger challenge given such an unprecedented rate of urbanization.
Infrastructure and Technology as two key components of Sustainable Urban Water Management
These trends point towards a critical need for more innovative and sustainable water solutions. Last year, SIWW covered broad themes in policy and governance. This year we will build on that theme, with a more specific focus on infrastructure and technology to highlight their importance in sustainable urban water management. Both infrastructure and technology are key to delivering solutions. However, they are also both difficult to muster and require considerable investment.
In many instances, the development of pioneering infrastructure has been driven by advances in technology. Technology is a critical factor for cities to overcome their natural vulnerabilities and constraints. For example, through the use of technology, Singapore was able to develop NEWater, a huge step forward in our goal to achieve water sustainability.
Infrastructure planning and implementation needs to be done with a clear vision and a long term perspective. Preserving water resources and protecting the environment are both long term investments entailing huge costs in the short term but yielding benefits that come about only after some time. For example, the Marina Barrage in Singapore, which is a three-in-one project for water storage, flood control and lifestyle attractions, was the fruition of many years of sustained policies and actions beginning with the cleaning up of the Singapore River in the 1970s.
For optimal results, we need to integrate water management infrastructure with overall urban planning and development. In the case of the Deep Tunnel Sewerage System in Singapore, (DTSS), the project was conceptualised after taking into account our long term population and economic growth as well as land use priorities. The Singapore Government realized that a creative approach was needed to cater to our used water needs over the next century, in the most cost effective and environmentally friendly way. The DTSS had spillover benefits, freeing up additional land for other activities and thus allowing for economies of scale in our NEWater production.
However, each city needs to adapt technological advances to its unique context. In this regard, such a conference like this promotes the sharing of innovative ideas and emerging technologies, with a strong focus on practical and replicable solutions.
Among many other outstanding nominations for the Prize, the winner of this year’s LKY Water Prize, Professor Gatze Lettinga was selected for his contribution in developing and pioneering the widespread use of anaerobic technology to purify used water. Prof Lettinga’s technology for the upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor not only pre-treats used water with 30-40% energy savings, it also produces renewable energy in the form of bio-gas as well. Other cutting-edge technologies will also be showcased as part of this year’s Water Convention, which is held in conjunction with the International Water Association’s Leading-Edge Technologies (LET) Conference.
Launch of Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize
Through the SIWW, Singapore seeks to play its part in the global community, by providing platforms for global leaders to come together to discuss and share ideas and solutions in water. The Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize, a key feature of SIWW, recognizes outstanding contributions towards solving global water problems by applying technologies or implementing innovative policies and programmes which benefit humanity.
In extending the spirit of this award, I am pleased to announce the launch of the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize. Co-organized by Singapore’s national land use and conservation authority, the Urban Redevelopment Authority, and the Centre for Liveable Cities, the prize seeks to recognise and showcase urban projects, policies and solutions that epitomise foresight, good governance and innovation in overcoming various aspects of the challenges faced by cities.
The Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize is different from other international awards on city planning in that its main focus is on liveability and vibrancy in the context of sustainability, which are important characteristics for high quality urban living environment. The World City Prize will place emphasis on solutions that are practical, cost effective and easily replicable. In doing so, Singapore hopes to facilitate the sharing of best practices in urban solutions among cities and spur innovation in sustainable urban development.
The inaugural Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize will be awarded at the World Cities Summit 2010 that will be organized in conjunction with SIWW 2010 in June next year. I hope that both the World City Prize and Water Prize will be a source of encouragement for more innovative solutions to create vibrant, liveable and sustainable cities and communities.
Conclusion
Finally, let me thank the distinguished delegates, partners, founding sponsors and participants for their support of SIWW 2009. I am glad that commitment to water issues has remained high despite the downturn, as reflected by this year’s SIWW drawing an even larger, and more diverse crowd. The various pillar events of SIWW 2009 should reinforce the fact that technology and infrastructure are essential long term investments for a sustainable water future, even in uncertain economic times. I hope that through SIWW, we will all build upon our ideas and experiences to seek better infrastructure and technology solutions. I wish all of you an eventful and fruitful time in Singapore. Thank you.
SM Jayakumar Speech at SIWW Opening
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
Let me welcome everyone here for the opening ceremony of the Singapore International Water Week 2009.
The Sustainable Development Challenge
Today, all major cities and communities around the world face sustainable development challenges. Cities enjoy economies of scale and potential for creativity arising from concentrated human activity. At the same time, they face many issues such as housing needs, public health, congestion, access to clean water and sanitation. Cities will have to grapple with these challenges within the constraints of finite financial and other resources like energy, raw materials and water. On top of this, climate change is introducing new uncertainties for human civilisation. Although scientific opinion is divided on climate change issues, what is clear is that the onset of extreme weather patterns will have a significant impact on the world’s distribution of fresh potable water and food supplies.
To date, about one billion people still lack access to clean drinking water and some 2.5 billion people mainly from the developing world, still lack access to improved sanitation. Even cities that have met the challenges of providing access to clean water and sanitation will face the increasing strain of growing population on their water resources.
Over the last fifty years, the population living in cities has more than quadrupled. By 2030, some 60% of the world’s population (or close to five billion people) will live in cities. Sustainable Development therefore will become a bigger challenge given such an unprecedented rate of urbanization.
Infrastructure and Technology as two key components of Sustainable Urban Water Management
These trends point towards a critical need for more innovative and sustainable water solutions. Last year, SIWW covered broad themes in policy and governance. This year we will build on that theme, with a more specific focus on infrastructure and technology to highlight their importance in sustainable urban water management. Both infrastructure and technology are key to delivering solutions. However, they are also both difficult to muster and require considerable investment.
In many instances, the development of pioneering infrastructure has been driven by advances in technology. Technology is a critical factor for cities to overcome their natural vulnerabilities and constraints. For example, through the use of technology, Singapore was able to develop NEWater, a huge step forward in our goal to achieve water sustainability.
Infrastructure planning and implementation needs to be done with a clear vision and a long term perspective. Preserving water resources and protecting the environment are both long term investments entailing huge costs in the short term but yielding benefits that come about only after some time. For example, the Marina Barrage in Singapore, which is a three-in-one project for water storage, flood control and lifestyle attractions, was the fruition of many years of sustained policies and actions beginning with the cleaning up of the Singapore River in the 1970s.
For optimal results, we need to integrate water management infrastructure with overall urban planning and development. In the case of the Deep Tunnel Sewerage System in Singapore, (DTSS), the project was conceptualised after taking into account our long term population and economic growth as well as land use priorities. The Singapore Government realized that a creative approach was needed to cater to our used water needs over the next century, in the most cost effective and environmentally friendly way. The DTSS had spillover benefits, freeing up additional land for other activities and thus allowing for economies of scale in our NEWater production.
However, each city needs to adapt technological advances to its unique context. In this regard, such a conference like this promotes the sharing of innovative ideas and emerging technologies, with a strong focus on practical and replicable solutions.
Among many other outstanding nominations for the Prize, the winner of this year’s LKY Water Prize, Professor Gatze Lettinga was selected for his contribution in developing and pioneering the widespread use of anaerobic technology to purify used water. Prof Lettinga’s technology for the upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor not only pre-treats used water with 30-40% energy savings, it also produces renewable energy in the form of bio-gas as well. Other cutting-edge technologies will also be showcased as part of this year’s Water Convention, which is held in conjunction with the International Water Association’s Leading-Edge Technologies (LET) Conference.
Launch of Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize
Through the SIWW, Singapore seeks to play its part in the global community, by providing platforms for global leaders to come together to discuss and share ideas and solutions in water. The Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize, a key feature of SIWW, recognizes outstanding contributions towards solving global water problems by applying technologies or implementing innovative policies and programmes which benefit humanity.
In extending the spirit of this award, I am pleased to announce the launch of the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize. Co-organized by Singapore’s national land use and conservation authority, the Urban Redevelopment Authority, and the Centre for Liveable Cities, the prize seeks to recognise and showcase urban projects, policies and solutions that epitomise foresight, good governance and innovation in overcoming various aspects of the challenges faced by cities.
The Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize is different from other international awards on city planning in that its main focus is on liveability and vibrancy in the context of sustainability, which are important characteristics for high quality urban living environment. The World City Prize will place emphasis on solutions that are practical, cost effective and easily replicable. In doing so, Singapore hopes to facilitate the sharing of best practices in urban solutions among cities and spur innovation in sustainable urban development.
The inaugural Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize will be awarded at the World Cities Summit 2010 that will be organized in conjunction with SIWW 2010 in June next year. I hope that both the World City Prize and Water Prize will be a source of encouragement for more innovative solutions to create vibrant, liveable and sustainable cities and communities.
Conclusion
Finally, let me thank the distinguished delegates, partners, founding sponsors and participants for their support of SIWW 2009. I am glad that commitment to water issues has remained high despite the downturn, as reflected by this year’s SIWW drawing an even larger, and more diverse crowd. The various pillar events of SIWW 2009 should reinforce the fact that technology and infrastructure are essential long term investments for a sustainable water future, even in uncertain economic times. I hope that through SIWW, we will all build upon our ideas and experiences to seek better infrastructure and technology solutions. I wish all of you an eventful and fruitful time in Singapore. Thank you.
