Singapore

February 27, 2024

AP Photo/David Goldman

The back page of today’s local newspaper carried an AP article on Singapore’s cutting edge water solutions.  Singapore has combined technology, diplomacy, and community involvement to help one of the most water-stressed nations in the world secure its water future.  There are no natural water resources in the country, and it relied on importing water from nearby Malaysia through deals for the inexpensive purchase of water from the Johor River.  The deal is set to expire in 2061 and there is no certainty over its renewal.  Across the island, seventeen reservoirs catch and store rainwater which is treated through a series of chemical coagulation, rapid gravity filtration, and disinfection.  Five desalination plants produce drinking water by pushing seawater through membranes to remove dissolved salts and minerals and are creating millions of gallons of clean water every day.  The country’s innovations have attracted the attention of other water-scarce nations seeking solutions.

When I looked online, I found Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia located just north of the equator.  The country consists of the main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet, with a total area of 281 miles² (734 km²).  Around 25% of this area is the result of extensive land reclamation projects since the country’s independence from Malaysia in 1965.  It has the second highest population density of any country in the world, although urban planning has resulted in green and recreational spaces.  There are four official languages (English, Malay, Mandarin, and Tamil) that represent the multicultural population, although English is the lingua franca.  Multi-racism is enshrined in the constitution and continues to shape national policies in education, housing, and politics.  In recent decades the island has transformed into a modern international business hub with a rapidly developing economy.  The economic boom has caused Singapore’s water consumption to increase by over twelve times since the nation’s independence, and the economy is expected to keep growing. 

In 2006 Singapore launched the Active, Beautiful, Clean Waters Program, which transformed the country’s water systems into more public areas.  Residents can now kayak, hike, and picnic on the reservoirs, and several water facilities have public green spaces on the roofs where the public can picnic on lush green lawns.  Children are taught in school about best practices for water use and conservation and the schools hold mock water rationing exercises where water taps are shut off and students collect water in pails.  Water technology developed and used in Singapore, like portable water filters, water testing technology, and flood management tools, have been exported to over 30 countries.  The country has become a global hub for water technology, as home to nearly 200 water companies, over 20 research centers, and hosts a biennial International Water Week.  Despite the progress Singapore has made toward water security, Harry Seah, deputy chief executive of operations at Singapore’s National Water Agency, warns that continued progress is essential for the island.

THOUGHTS:  Another innovation in Singapore is a massive sewage recycling program to purify wastewater through microfiltration, reverse osmosis, and ultraviolet irradiation, adding to drinking supply reservoirs.  The treated wastewater (called “NEWater”) provides Singapore 40% of its water with the hope to increase capacity to 55% of demand in years to come.  To help build confidence in the safety of Newater, Singapore’s national water agency collaborated with a local craft brewery to create a line of beer made from treated sewage.  Singapore has become innovative out of necessity, but that necessity may not be far for other countries if we do not conserve and innovatively reform use of the resources we now have.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.