Lee U-Wen, Business Times 22 Jun 09;
THE who's who of the global water industry, from Hyflux to General Electric to Black & Veatch, are in town this week as the second Singapore International Water Week (SIWW) kicks off with a bang today.
This trade event, themed 'Sustainable Cities, Infrastructure and Technologies for Water', is a launchpad for many companies' products and innovations, with a view towards a worldwide audience. Every square metre of exhibition space at the Water Expo has been snapped up, with more than 400 firms registered. Some 10,000 delegates and trade visitors are expected to throng the SIWW.
Singapore-based Optiqua Technologies, for instance, is planning to showcase its early warning system that can detect chemical and organic contamination in drinking water.
Hyflux will present a suite of next-generation membrane technologies for municipal, industrial and consumer applications.
At the inaugural SIWW last year, governments, utility providers and water companies inked over $367 million in deals. More than 8,500 delegates from 79 countries took part.
This year, scores of other companies will hold separate media conferences to share insights and information on best practices, new research and case studies in a bid to address some of the world's most pressing sustainability challenges. At least 20 government ministers from around the world will also attend. Senior Minister S Jayakumar will officially open the SIWW later tonight in a gala ceremony, while Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will be on hand to open the country's biggest water reclamation plant at Changi on Tuesday.
The $3.65 billion facility, on 32 ha of reclaimed land, will treat 800,000 cubic metres of used water daily, either to be discharged into the sea or used to produce purified NEWater.
At a banquet at the Istana on Wednesday, President SR Nathan will give out this year's Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize to Dutch professor Gatze Lettinga, 72, for his invention that uses bacteria to treat waste water efficiently.
But the SIWW is not just about big-money deals and awards. There will be presentations on a range of water-related issues, as experts seek solutions to help bring safe drinking water to over a billion people around the world who do not have access to it.
According to latest figures from the World Health Organisation, more than 4,000 people die from water-borne diseases everyday - equal to one per cent of Singapore's population dying every 24 hours.
Said SIWW managing director Michael Toh: 'The search for water solutions remains paramount, particularly with the growth of populations in the Asia-Pacific region. Technology can be replicated, and our water companies are able to export their expertise and knowledge to countries looking for water solutions.'
