Hetty Musfirah Abdul Khamid Channel NewsAsia 22 Mar 10;
SINGAPORE: Over 1,500 people were at the Marina Barrage to celebrate World Water Day.
The theme for this year is "Clean Water for a Healthy World".
Apart from raising awareness about keeping Singapore's waters clean, there is also a drive to get more to use water wisely.
The aim is to reduce water consumption of some 3,000 households by five per cent over the next three months.
Clean up sessions, along with investment in water infrastructure and technology over the years, have ensured Singapore's waterways remain clean.
Environment and Water Resources Minister Yaacob Ibrahim said Singapore may have come a long way from the days of pollution and water shortages.
However, it is important not to take the availability of clean water for granted.
"Singaporeans' response to the dry spell last month was to use even more water," Mr Yaacob said. "This is certainly not desirable should Singapore experience a prolonged dry spell. It is therefore timely to remind ourselves of the need to use water wisely."
Singaporeans are being encouraged to save about 10 litres a day - enough water to fill more than 6,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools in a year.
To spread the message even further to the public this year, some 3,000 scouts from primary schools islandwide will be taking on the role as water conservationists.
Over the coming months, they will be armed with a handbook, complete with water saving tips, to guide them.
Tan Cheng Kiong, Chief Commissioner of the Singapore Scout Association, said: "Having learnt to save water themselves, they will next learn how to pass this message down to their immediate families, their neighbours and their friends, and their classmates, so that they can encourage more people to work together to save water for our country, for our people for this planet."
Those who manage to see a five per cent reduction in their household water usage will be awarded with a new "live positively water badge".
The new badge scheme is an initiative by Coca-Cola Singapore and Singapore Scout Association, with support from PUB. There are also plans to roll out the initiative to scouts from the older age groups.
Singaporeans have been generally supportive of the water conservation effort. Domestic water consumption per person has dropped from 165 litres per day in 2003 to 155 litres last year. The eventual target is to have each person use just about 140 litres per day by 2030.
World Water Day also marks the opening of nominations for PUB's annual Watermark Award.
Into its fourth year, the Watermark Award is given to organisations and individuals for their outstanding contributions to protect and raise awareness of Singapore's precious water resources.
- CNA/yb
Keeping the water message afloat
Straits Times 22 Mar 10;
WATER Wally, the mascot of national water agency PUB, smiled down on World Water Day celebrations at Marina Barrage yesterday .
The United Nations designated March 22 as World Water Day in 1993 to focus on issues such as water quality and access to it.
By UN estimates, about one billion people worldwide still rely on unsafe sources of drinking water, and about 80 per cent of all used water in developing countries is discharged untreated.
In his speech at the World Water Day celebrations at Marina Barrage yesterday morning, guest of honour Environment and Water Resources Minister Yaacob Ibrahim reminded people of the need to use water wisely.
'Singaporeans' response to the dry spell last month was to use even more water,' he said. That would be bad news in the event of an even longer dry spell, he added.
Other World Water Day events held yesterday included an all-day carnival at Marina Barrage, which was attended by about 1,500 people from Central Singapore Community Development Council, schools and other organisations.
A water-conservation badge for primary school Cub Scouts was also launched jointly by the Singapore Scout Association, Coca-Cola Singapore and PUB.
About half of Singapore's 6,000 Cub Scouts are expected to try for the optional badge, which requires them to monitor their family's water use and cut it by 5 per cent over three months.
Use less, not more
Hetty Musfirah Today Online 22 Mar 10;
SINGAPORE - Singapore faced a dry spell last month, but instead of conserving water, Singaporeans used even more water.
The irony was not lost on Minister for Environment and Water Resources Dr Yaacob Ibrahim when he spoke at the World Water Day celebrations at the Marina Barrage yesterday.
The average daily potable water consumption in February was the equivalent of 586 Olympic-size swimming pools - an increase of 6.6 per cent over last year's daily average consumption for the same period.
"This is certainly not desirable should Singapore experience a prolonged dry spell," said Dr Yaacob, who added that the ready availability of clean water is something that Singaporeans cannot take for granted.
So while the theme for World Water Day was "Clean Water for a Healthy World", the PUB, along with two other organisations, Coca-Cola Singapore and the Singapore Scouts Association, are on a drive to get more to use water wisely.
Through the "Global Scout Movement", a new "Live Positively Water Badge" will be awarded to Cub Scouts who managed to see a 5 per cent reduction in their household's water usage over the next three months.
A total of 3,000 cub scouts from primary schools island-wide will participate in the initiative.
On the whole, Singaporeans have been generally supportive of the water conservation effort.
Dr Yaacob said since PUB launched the 10-Litre Challenge in 2006 to get Singaporeans to reduce their daily water usage by 10 litres a day, domestic water consumption per person has dropped from 165 litres per day in 2003 to 155 litres last year.
The eventual target is to get each person to use just about 140 litres per day by 2030.
