Arti Mulchand, Straits Times 25 Jun 08;
JUST AS Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government is the hallmark learning ground for politicians and policymakers, Singapore's new Institute of Water Policy has the potential to be the defining institution for leaders in the management of water issues.
That is the ambitious goal of the Asian Development Bank's (ADB) water supply and sanitation specialist K.E. Seetharam, who became its first director yesterday.
'We need some early wins, and to deliver on the most urgently needed things. But in the medium term, we can set the pace and gain credibility,' he told The Straits Times.
Having the institute located in Singapore - a water-management success story in itself - will also go some way to help it achieve that goal.
'Seeing is believing...Countries like Singapore show that the water problems of Asia are solvable,' said the 46-year-old Indian national, who is being seconded to the institute initially for a two-year-term.
Mr Kishore Mahbubani, dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, where the institute will be housed, echoed that view.
'Water is one of the biggest global problems today, and the institute is in one of the best living laboratories in the world...The research we produce will hopefully provide data that will convince policymakers across the region that good water economics is also good water politics,' he said.
Singapore's combination of good public policy, water economics, technology and education - which helped it transform two-thirds of its area into water catchments - is 'nothing short of a miracle', he added.
'We have gone through the Third World experience, even in my lifetime. So it's a lot more real to developing countries,' he concluded.
The institute will do research on water-policy and water-management issues, and take on consultancy projects with governments and institutions like the World Bank.
It will receive $7.5 million in funding from the Government and the national water agency PUB over the next five years. The PUB will also provide operational and technical expertise.
The idea for the institute first came from Stockholm Water Prize winner Asit K. Biswas while visiting Singapore about a year ago.
He saw the need for a platform to enable leaders and decision makers to network and to create opportunities to replicate regional success stories.
The ADB also identified the need for a research institute. It estimated that 700 million people in the region lacked access to safe water, and some two billion lacked access to basic sanitation facilities.
In seeking to address the startling figures, Mr Seetharam said the true challenge will be to ensure sustainable strategies, not just one-off success stories.
'The question is how to ensure a continuous flow of experts and leaders, not just one-off mavericks that come in and get things done. This is where we need a programme to advise future leaders,' he said.
Singapore sets up two new institutes to boost water research and liveable cities
Channel NewsAsia 24 Jun 08;
SINGAPORE: Singapore is boosting its capabilities in water management and sustainable urban development. It will be setting up two expert bodies - the Institute of Water Policy, under the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, and the Centre for Liveable Cities.
Opening the World Cities Summit and the International Water Week, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said every city's goal of a good living environment and efficient use of resources cannot be achieved in isolation.
There is no doubt countries place high importance on issues like water management, energy efficiency, air quality and urban planning. That's evident from the overwhelming response from delegates to the World Cities Summit and the International Water Week.
PM Lee noted that urbanisation is happening at an unprecedented scale. So to ensure cities remain dynamic engines of growth, sound urban management policies are needed. And topping that list is energy conservation.
Mr Lee said: "To achieve results in energy efficiency and conservation, it is important to get the economics right. Energy, whether electricity or petrol, should be priced properly and not subsidised."
At the same time, Mr Lee noted that R&D on clean energy technologies, including safe nuclear power, needs to be an important component of mankind's response to global warming.
Another critical element of sustainable living is water management. The Prime Minister feels that, on the whole, the world is not short of water but what is lacking are sound water management practices.
He said: "It is not enough to build the best water treatment plants, and then neglect to protect the water catchments from squatters or pollution. Ensuring a clean and reliable supply of potable water requires cities to take an integrated approach - from the reservoirs, catchment areas and water treatment plants, to the reticulation, sanitation and sewerage system. "
In Singapore's case, the National Research Foundation has a S$500 million programme to finance research in environmental and water technologies.
Dr Tony Tan, Chairman, National Research Foundation, said: "These investments have yielded dramatic reductions in the cost of water from recycling of used water and desalination through the use of advanced membrane technology."
As some of Singapore's solutions may be relevant to other emerging cities, the country's two new institutes on water policy and urban planning can play a role in collaborative research projects and information sharing. - CNA/vm
Sustainability, at the right price
Closer collaboration the next step; two institutes set up to focus on policy, practice
Lin Yanqin, Today Online 25 Jun 08;
GETTING the economics of sustainable development right is important; the next step for Singapore is closer collaboration to share expertise. And so, two new institutes focusing on policy and practice will be set up, announced Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday as he gave his take on how to meet the challenges of sustainable development.
The Institute of Water Policy — to be set up under the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy — will have government funding of over $7.5 million for its first five years to research water policy and governance across Asia. Asian Development Bank’s principal water specialist Dr K E Seetharam will be director.
Meanwhile, the Centre for Liveable Cities will act as a repository of Singapore’s experience in urban development and undertake relevant policy research in areas that require a whole-of-government approach.
While no single country has all the answers on sustainable living, there are clear examples of what works — and proper pricing of energy and water is one of them, said Mr Lee in his keynote address at the opening of Singapore International Water Week and World Cities Summit yesterday: “Ideally, energy should be priced not just at today’s market levels but also taking into account the likelihood of a future carbon-constrained world.” Places with higher power prices — such as Denmark and Japan — tend to use energy more efficiently. In America, states with higher energy prices consume less energy than others, he noted.
Likewise, proper pricing of water would help discourage over-consumption, he added. Access to water is seen as a security concern and potential trigger of conflict by more and more countries. Yet, technology has “transformed the problem from an absolute resource constraint to a question of economics”.
“More water is available at the right price. With a workable funding model, it’s possible to build and operate water factories on a sustainable basis,” he said.
In a separate address yesterday, National Research Foundation chairman Tony Tan said Singapore’s desalination plant and a fifth Newater plant — both in construction — will bring Singapore closer to its target of having at least 30 per cent of Singapore’s water needs met by non-conventional sources by 2012.
With sustainable development being a complex issue, good policies matter, with help from the ideas of the private sector, said Mr Lee, calling on firms to make Singapore a “living laboratory” for solutions for “use around the world”. “The welfare of our peoples depend on how well we harness our collective ideas, knowledge and capabilities,” he said.
Singapore sets up Institute of Water Policy to boost research
Channel NewsAsia 24 Jun 08;
SINGAPORE: Singapore is boosting its research capabilities by setting up an Institute of Water Policy.
It will be part of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and will strive to be a leading research centre in Asia for effective water policies.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said this at the opening of the Singapore International Water Week and the World Cities Summit.
He said the institute's policy research will complement the investments in water R&D and the expanding water industry here.
The institute will receive funding of some 7.5 million Singapore dollars from the Singapore government and the Public Utilities Board during its first five years.
According to the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, the Asian Development Bank has assessed that some 700 million people in the region lack access to safe water. Another two billion lack access to basic sanitation facilities.
The institute will undertake critical research on water policy and its governance in countries across Asia to find more effective water solutions.
The dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy said this is a natural development, especially with water being a global priority today.
Professor Kishore Mahbubani, Dean, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, said: "We are the world's most densely populated state and yet we have been able to transform two-thirds of our island into a water catchment area. And everytime I mention that, the foreigner's eyes look up and ask if that's possible? That’s the result of good public policy."
The institute hopes to provide data to convince policymakers that good water economics is also good water politics.
Dr Ke Seetharaman, Director, Institute of Water Policy, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, said: "We were earlier thinking that the delivery of water was like a public good like in many places. So it was taken for granted that if I switch on my tap, the water will come. It's not really so anymore. You have to manage it. So we need a continuous flow of committed and passionate leaders who can help in the policy formulation and implementing these policies."
Also announced at the mega conference is the setting up of the Centre for Liveable Cities.
It is jointly set up by the National Development and the Environment and Water Resources ministries.
The purpose of this centre is to bring together Singapore's expertise on urban development from across government, industry and academia.
Mr Lee added that it will integrate knowledge in areas such as environmental planning and sustainable transport solutions.
Andrew Tan, Director, Centre for Liveable Cities, Deputy Secretary, Foreign Affairs Ministry, said: "The Centre for Liveable Cities will not duplicate the efforts of the other agencies. Over time, these agencies have developed certain key competencies and they are also doing a great deal of developmental work. What the centre will do is leverage on the work they have done and bring together the expertise of the whole of government approach towards sustainable urban development."
Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, said: "Last year, the United Nations reported that 2008 is the first time in history where more of Earth's inhabitants live in cities than in rural areas. Today, there are more than 400 cities with more than one million people living in them, more than twice as many as 30 years ago, and if UN researchers prove correct, the world's urban population will grow by an average of 1.6 million every 10 days until 2030. By then, nearly two-thirds of the world's population will be living in cities."
More than 5,000 participants from 60 countries are attending the the first Singapore International Water Week, World Cities Summit and East Asia Summit Conference on Liveable Cities. - CNA/ir/vm
