A Message From Us At Singapore International Water Week

Dear friends and partners,

As 2022 draws to a close, we wish to thank you for your valued support and strong partnership.

In April, we brought the global water industry physically together for the first time in two years at Singapore International Water Week (SIWW) 2022. Braving the inconvenience of international travel restrictions, covid-testing regimes, and fear of infection, over 11,000 delegates from 65 countries/regions descended into Singapore for four days of intense face-to-face interactions and peer-to-peer learning and exchanges. Energy levels were high as key topics such as climate resilience, resource circularity, digital water and decarbonisation were discussed.

During SIWW2022, we also launched our newest digital technology and innovation resource hub - SIWW+. Designed as an open-source free online repository on water innovation, SIWW+ contains video recordings of SIWW2022 sessions plus articles, editorials, and interviews from our partners. In 2023, we will be uploading more content in SIWW+, including new technology project briefs. We encourage you to check out SIWW+ if you have not done so.

2022 also saw Professor Kazuo Yamamoto being awarded the Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize 2020 for his invention of the world’s first operationally and commercially viable submerged membrane bioreactor (submerged MBR). His invention led to a breakthrough in the field of used water treatment and water reuse which has benefitted millions worldwide. Nominations of the Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize 2024 will open in March 2023 – do look out for further news in our future EDMs.

In 2023, we will be organising SIWW Spotlight from 4 to 6 June 2023. As a by-invitation Summit, SIWW Spotlight 2023 will bring 400 leaders from utilities, cities, and industry together to share solutions in tackling climate and water sustainability challenges. Themed ‘Urgent Climate Action for a Sustainable Water Future’, we aim for Spotlight to be a catalyst to drive impactful exchanges and build partnerships for collective action. We invite global water leaders to join us at the event. For interest to attend, please click on this link.

The next Singapore International Water Week will return in 2024, from 18 to 22 June. The Call for Papers for the Water Convention, co-organised with the International Water Association, will be announced in March 2023. We invite you to submit your abstracts on the latest water technology innovation, solutions, and case studies.

From all of us at SIWW, we wish you a wonderful festive season, filled with peace and joy!

What Can You Expect at SIWW Spotlight 2023?

Utilities CEO Roundtable (4 June)
Only for CEOs and senior leaders of water utilities, agencies and cities

The inaugural Utilities CEO Roundtable provides a valuable opportunity for CEOs and designated senior representatives of water utilities, agencies, and cities to engage in frank and open exchanges of experiences amongst peers in a closed-door setting, and form partnerships with like-minded organisations to drive action & develop solutions to common challenges.

Roundtable Topics:

• Net-Zero Utility: How Do We Get There?
• Smart Utility: Plans, Actions, and Results

Spotlight Plenaries (5 June)

Plenaries will shine the spotlight on how industry can provide access to knowledge, technology, innovation, and capital to support the transformation of water utilities and cities to become climate-resilient, smart, and sustainable.

Roundtable Topics:

• Climate-Resilient Utility – The Way Forward
• Smart Utility – Partnering Industry for Success

Technical Visits (6 June)

Technical visits to facilities and installations offer delegates a first-hand experience to hear and learn about Singapore’s integrated approach to achieve water sustainability and resilience.

Technical Visit Options:

• Keppel Marina East Desalination Plant
• Sembcorp Tengeh Floating Solar Farm
• Changi Water Reclamation Plant & NEWater Factory
• Choa Chu Kang Waterworks
• Nanyang Environment and Water Research Institute (NEWRI) & Separation Technologies Applied Research and Translation Centre (START)

Networking Functions

Numerous networking functions during SIWW Spotlight 2023 offer informal opportunities to foster business and collaboration over drinks and meals.

Functions:

• Welcome Reception
• Networking Breakfast, Lunches and Coffee Breaks
• Summit Dinner @ Flower Dome, Gardens by the Bay

[Co-Located Event] Singapore Water Association Golf @ SIWW Spotlight 2023 (6 June)

Partake in a round of golf with fellow industry peers at the picturesque New Course at Singapore Island Country Club, followed by a sumptuous dinner banquet. Separate registration and fees apply.

Binnies Commemorates 100 years of Water Excellence in Singapore

(From left to right) Mike Collins, Head of Sustainable Infrastructure (APAC), Department for International Trade (DIT); William Yong, Managing Director, Binnies Singapore; Alan Ryder, CEO and Founder, RSK Group; Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment; Her Excellency Kara Owen, British High Commissioner to Singapore; Goh Si Hou, Chief Executive, PUB; and Lucy Thomas, Managing Director, RSK Centre for Sustainability Excellence at the reception to celebrate Binnies’ centenary in Singapore. Photo credit: Binnies Singapore

Binnies, an RSK Group company and iconic water industry brand synonymous with world-class engineering, celebrated its centennial in Singapore with a cocktail reception at historic Eden Hall, the official residence of the British High Commissioner to Singapore, on 5 December 2022. Guests of Honour Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment; and Her Excellency Kara Owen, British High Commissioner to Singapore, graced the event attended by guests from the water, environment and sustainability sectors.

Despite Singapore being one of the countries in the world with limited natural water resources and land for water storage, we are now a global success story in water resilience. Since 1922, Binnies has partnered with PUB on major water infrastructure projects here, notably four of Singapore’s five desalination plants, Tuas Nexus, the Deep Tunnel Sewerage System (DTSS), and the NEWater Factories I and II at Changi Water Reclamation Plant.

SIWW2022 Water Leaders Interview Series

To bring you up to speed, here is a quick recap of the latest episodes of the SIWW2022 Water Leaders Interview Series – done in conversation with Ms Dawn McGregor, Business Engagement Lead from CWR. Hear from top water leaders, including Simon Parsons, Director of Strategic Customer Service Planning at Scottish Water, Dr Alan Ryder, Chief Executive Officer & Founder of the RSK Group and Dr Debra Roberts, Co-Chair of the IPCC’s Working Group II on the existential need for climate resilience building and how the future of a sustainable water world can be achieved.

Read on to find out more:

Simon Parsons, Director of Strategic Customer Service Planning at Scottish Water shares candidly the biggest challenges facing them, and his take on ensuring sustainable water management for all.

Distilling his sharing into 2 key points below:

1. Adapting to climate change
2. (Less of a) Big electricity user

He also credits events, such as SIWW, as rallying points for the global water community to drive impactful exchanges and build partnerships for collective action.

Catch the full video interview here.

The main man behind over 175 environmental, engineering, and technical services businesses that deliver on sustainable solutions, Dr Alan Ryder, Chief Executive Officer & Founder of the RSK Group shares about the challenges of the world and how RSK’s responses are enshrined by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals of “a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future”.

Aligned with COP27’s building on outcomes to tackle the climate emergency, glean insights on the foundations and drivers behind RSK’s businesses.

Catch the full video interview here.

Recently, all eyes were on COP27 as it sought to renew solidarity between countries to deliver on the landmark Paris Agreement.

We were fortunate to have caught up with Dr Debra Roberts, Co-Chair of the IPCC’s Working Group II at this year’s SIWW, where she spoke about the narrowing window of opportunity to act, and why water can be a rallying point for climate leadership.

With water and cities being inextricably linked, she added that cities have a catalytic role to play in enabling change.

Catch the full video interview here or read more in a written extract here.

Other global water leaders featured in the Series are as follows:

• Tom Mollenkopf, President, International Water Association (IWA) (written extract here)
• Neeta Pokhrel, Chief of Water Sector Group, Asian Development Bank (ADB)
• Patrick Blethon, Chief Executive Officer, SAUR Group
• Menno M. Holterman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Nijhuis Saur Industries
• Jennifer Sara, Global Director for the World Bank Group's Climate Change Group
• Anna Lu, President, Apo Agua Infrastructura Inc
• David L. Johnson, Deputy General Manager – Operations, Las Vegas Valley Water District and Southern Nevada Water Authority
• Maree Lang, Managing Director, Greater Western Water
• J.V. Emmanuel De Dios, President and Chief Executive Officer, Manila Water Company
• Mads Leth, Chief Executive Officer, VCS Denmark
• Elijah Hutchinson, former Vice President, New York City Economic Development Corporation

To watch all 13 episodes of the Series, simply sign up for a free SIWW+ account or login with your existing credentials to start browsing away. Do also follow SIWW on LinkedIn for the latest news and updates.