Singapore as water technology hub

Business Times 4 Dec 07;

SINGAPORE'S efforts to become a hub of water technologies will be boosted by three new events this week.

PUB, the national water agency, will sign tomorrow a memorandum of understanding with Toray, an established membrane supplier in Japan, to collaborate on water research and development projects.

The other two events are a water safety workshop in Singapore which will be attended by 13 representatives from Vietnam, the Philippines and Laos, and Singapore's participation in the inaugural Asia Pacific Water Summit in Beppu, Japan.

Professor Tommy Koh, chairman of the Governing Council of Asia Pacific Water Forum, will be sharing the group's achievements at this summit.

A PUB press statement yesterday said the MOU between PUB and Toray is aimed at finding water solutions through R&D activities, test bedding and early adoption of new technologies.

The first project - jointly developed by PUB, Toray and the National Water Research Institute, a top US-based research organisation - will focus on the use of nano-porous materials in membranes. The objective is to produce and test mixed matrix membranes for water purification.

On the three-day water safety workshop, PUB says this is the first workshop under the WHO-Singapore partnership agreement signed in August this year to jointly promote the safe management of drinking water.

Terrence Thompson, regional adviser (Environmental Health) from WHO's Western Pacific Regional Office, said: 'Singapore is one of the few Asian countries where you can drink water directly from the taps. That achievement is a role model and an inspiration for other countries which are struggling with the issue of safe drinking water. Singapore, with its strength in safe water management, can contribute significantly to our cause in promoting the protection of water.'

The Asia Pacific Water Summit is the first summit on water in Asia that will be attended by heads of government and ministers from Asia-Pacific. It aims to seek commitment from the region's leaders to place more importance on water in their national development agendas.

One highlight is the launch of the Asian Water Development Outlook 2007. Commissioned by Asian Development Bank and prepared by leading experts on water from the region, the report identifies nine areas of concern from water pollution to urbanisation and climate change.