Jessica Cheam Straits Times 5 Jul 11;
SINGAPORE has pumped fresh money into local water research to keep its edge as the leader in water technologies.
The sector will receive $140 million to promote research and development (R&D) efforts, with the aim of converting these ideas into practical water solutions, Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam said yesterday.
That would in turn attract more investment and create more jobs in the industry.
The fresh funds allocated by the National Research Foundation (NRF) will bring the total R&D budget for the sector to $470 million.
Mr Tharman made the announcement at the opening ceremony of the Singapore International Water Week (SIWW). Into its fourth year, the high-profile event features new water technologies and brings together global experts and leaders who will discuss how to cope with issues such as rising water demand.
Speaking to an audience of 1,800 last night, Mr Tharman said it is important to continue investing in R&D, even if 'the gestation periods can be long before the pay-offs to new technologies are realised'.
'The journey towards water security will always be a work-in-progress for Singapore, as new challenges emerge in the urban environment,' said Mr Tharman, who is Finance and Manpower Minister.
But such challenges are not unique to Singapore, he pointed out. 'Cities around the world will have to contend with issues such as weather extremities in the context of urbanisation, increasing water demand and higher public expectations.'
Singapore, for instance, has had to grapple with the problem of flooding. Just last month, heavy rainfall submerged parts of eastern and central Singapore, including the Tanglin-Cuscaden area. A panel of experts has since been set up to review the island's drainage system and flood-prevention measures.
In 2006, the NRF was set up with a five-year $5 billion budget, and had set aside $330 million for water research.
Last year, it received a $16.1 billion injection for 2011 to 2015 to support research, innovation and enterprise. The $140 million will come out of this fund.
Mr Tharman noted that under the NRF's initiatives, some water projects funded include research into membranes used to sieve out impurities in water, and seawater desalination that uses less energy.
With these fresh investments, Mr Tharman said Singapore is hopeful that it will hit its goal of growing the economic contribution from the water sector from $500 million in 2003 to $1.7 billion by 2015. It also hopes for a doubling of jobs to 11,000 in the industry by then.
Besides investing in R&D, countries can also see challenges as opportunities, said Mr Tharman.
He cited the Netherlands's Delta Programme, which acquires land for the temporary storage of excess river water. When dry, these areas double up as parkland for recreational activities.
There is a similar initiative in Singapore, he said. The Active, Beautiful, Clean or ABC Waters programme, driven by national water agency PUB, transforms 'utilitarian drains and canals into beautiful and vibrant rivers and streams'.
He also called for a closer collaboration between the public sector, academia and private sector firms.
One example is the Singapore-Delft Water Alliance set up in 2007 by the National University of Singapore, consultancy firm Deltares and PUB. The tie-up aims to develop solutions for the urban water cycle, and it will launch a new Aquatic Science Centre - the first in Asia - tomorrow.
'By working across boundaries... we can potentially fast-track the development of solutions at a lower total cost, and make the challenge less daunting for everyone,' he said.
Earlier in the day, Environment Minister Vivian Balakrishnan attended the South-east Asia Water Ministers Forum, part of the SIWW.
He noted that issues of water management have become increasingly important because South-east Asian countries are particularly vulnerable to extreme weather events, due to their extensive, heavily populated coasts.
'(The) forum is a stepping stone towards greater commitment in resolving some of these issues,' he said.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will address SIWW delegates today
Water R&D to get boost
Ryan Huang Channel NewsAsia 4 Jul 11;
SINGAPORE: Research and development in Singapore's water sector is set to receive a boost.
This comes in a fresh funding of S$140 million from the National Research Foundation.
This is on top of the S$330 million previously committed in 2006.
The news was announced by Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who stressed the importance of investing in new technologies for the long term.
Mr Tharman was speaking at the opening ceremony of the Singapore International Water Week (SIWW) 2011.
Finding new ways to develop sustainable water solutions will be key to Singapore's water security, and the government believes continued investment in the sector will be crucial towards this goal.
It is raising the amount committed to promote R&D in the sector by nearly 50 per cent to a total of S$470 million.
DPM Tharman, who is also Minister for Finance and Manpower, said: "So far, the projects funded under this initiative include those looking into domains like advanced membrane processes, bio-mimicry and low-energy seawater desalination.
"We are hopeful that with these investments, we will achieve our goal of growing the value-added contribution from this sector from S$0.5 billion in 2003 to S$1.7 billion by 2015, and doubling jobs in the sector to 11,000 by then".
Another key factor to grow the industry involves the private sector.
One latest example is the award of a contract by national water agency PUB to ST Electronics.
This is to create a system to help it manage its resources better.
Called an Intelligent Water Management System, it aims to enhance PUB's capability to integrate real-time information on water resources in Singapore and manage water operations across the entire water supply, water catchment, used water and drainage systems more efficiently.
The project is expected to be completed in the second half of 2012.
Another example is through Public Private Partnerships (PPP) such as the Ulu Pandan NEWater Plant, which involved Keppel Seghers.
This is typically a contract between a public sector agency and a private party, where the private party takes on significantly more financial, technical and operational risk in the project.
Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan said: "The way we have organised our water supply system has got several lessons for many other countries.
"More recently, we've used public private partnerships, or PPP, for short, to involve the private sector in the desalination as well as the production of NEWater, so our companies like Hyflux, Sembcorp and Keppel Corp, have entered into contracts with PUB.
"These are complicated contracts and I'm not saying that they are easy to execute but if done properly, it provides an avenue to involve the private sector ingenuity, latest technology as well as commercial discipline in order to produce water more efficiently, and ultimately, at an affordable rate for our consumers".
Another advantage of PPPs is it allows local companies to build up a track record.
This gives them a competitive edge when they bid for contracts overseas.
These are just some of the main reasons for Singapore's success in the PPP model and why it is attracting interest from other countries.
-CNA/wk
Another $140m for water technology research
Extra funding meant to further spur quest for sustainable water solutions: Tharman
Lynn Kan Business Times 5 Jul 11;
(SINGAPORE) Water technology research here will get a further $140 million fillip from the National Research Foundation (NRF), to make its total budget $470 million.
Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam yesterday announced that the funding on top of the $330 million committed in 2006 is meant to further spur the industry's growth.
Singapore has targets to grow the sector's value-add contribution from $500 million in 2003 to $1.7 billion by 2015, and double jobs in the sector to 11,000.
The guardian of the earmarked research funding is the specialised Environment and Water Industry Programme Office (EWI), set up in 2006 to help get breakthrough research solutions off the ground.
The EWI has to date funded 64 R&D projects, three start-ups, six research centres and 38 scholarships.
Said the EWI: 'All of these projects are in different stages of development, ranging from fundamental research to demonstration plants close to commercialisation. Funding of these projects is a continual process and we are happy to receive the top-up of $140 million to expand the budget for R&D.'
At the opening ceremony of the Singapore International Water Week (SIWW) last night, Mr Tharman emphasised the importance of investing in new water technologies to urban living environs.
'We have to continue investing in technology and R&D aimed at developing sustainable water solutions - even if this means taking a long-term view, as the gestation periods can be long. And the payoffs to new technologies are sometimes realised only after a considerable amount of time,' he said.
Mr Tharman also urged public sector, academia and industry players to forge closer collaborations to hit upon the right solutions for urban eco-systems.
'By working across boundaries - of geography between cities, of technologies across sciences, and of knowledge across academia, the public sector and industry - we can potentially fast-track the development of solutions at a lower total cost, and make the challenge less daunting for everyone,' he said.
Mr Tharman highlighted some of such partnerships which have been around in Singapore for some years.
One of the latest efforts is the Singapore-Delft Water Alliance, a partnership between the National University of Singapore (NUS), consultancy Deltares and national water agency PUB.
The Water Alliance combines perspectives from academics and the public sector to carry out research. Tomorrow, it opens its new Aquatic Science Centre, which will conduct research as well as encourage the public to interact with scientists.
Research centres have also been set up here by 23 companies, among whom are GE Water, Siemens Water Technologies, Toray and Hyflux. These undertake research in 'close collaboration with our universities and public sector agencies', he said.
This year's (fourth) SIWW is the largest since the event started in 2008, with over 600 companies exhibiting at the Water Expo.
Last year, SIWW welcomed over 14,000 trade delegates from over 110 countries. Altogether, more than $2.8 billion in projects and investments were secured at last year's event.
PUB to set up centre for water-linked problems
Feng Zengkun Straits Times 5 Jul 11;
A NEW centre that can plug water-related problems faster - from floods to burst pipes and damaged treatment plants - will be set up next year.
The project by national water agency PUB and home-grown company ST Electronicsis expected to be ready in the second half of next year.
While both PUB and ST Electronics declined to reveal the location and cost of the centre, what is known is that its staff will be able to monitor the water-supply network, treatment plants and flood- monitoring systems all at the same time.
Once a problem is identified, field teams will be sent to the site, with updates of the shortest route obtained via Global Positioning System and live traffic feeds.
They will also be given equipment to transmit video and sound back to the centre. 'This will enable the officers to make more accurate decisions based on live information from the ground,' said an ST Electronics spokesman.
Last month, intense rain caused the worst flood seen here this year. The perceived increase in the number of floods in the past year has also led some to question if government agencies were up to the task of solving the problem.
The Government has said it will speed up improvement works in flood-prone areas. It also appointed a panel of 11 local and foreign experts to look into the drainage system and flood prevention measures.
PUB said the new centre was not in response to the recent floods but is part of a larger, ongoing project called the Intelligent Water Management System which includes a previously announced SMS flood alert system.
PUB's assistant chief executive of operations Tan Yok Gin said it was too early to comment on how much time the centre would save in handling problems.
The centre taps existing infrastructure such as water sensors in drains and canals that signal possible floods, and automated meter readers and mechanisms that monitor water use.
'We've already built up the hardware, now we're looking at ways to combine the different systems to increase our efficiency,' said Mr Tan.
Currently, an employee who wants to access different data has to log into multiple systems. For example, for water leaks, he would have to check which pipe has been damaged, which households or firms are supplied by the pipe, and then alert the appropriate department to notify the affected people.
The centre will house the different systems under one roof at first. The data sets will be integrated into a single system at a later stage.
The ST Electronics spokesman said the centre could be replicated in other cities.
The company's president Lee Fook Sun said increasing urbanisation was putting stress on infrastructure in cities worldwide.
The United Nations has estimated that 70 per cent of the world's population will live in cities by 2050, up from 50 per cent today.
'Centres like this can help them remain clean and secure,' Mr Lee said.
Singapore has hand in new WHO guidelines on drinking water
Grace Chua Straits Times 5 Jul 11;
THE World Health Organisation (WHO) unveiled a new set of guidelines on drinking water quality here yesterday - with Singapore playing a role in the drafting of the document.
The Republic lent its water management expertise, including desalination experience, to the drafting of the document.
It provided an expert and hosted three technical meetings to hammer out the fourth edition guidelines, which were released yesterday on the first day of Singapore International Water Week (SIWW).
Many countries, including Singapore, use the WHO document as the basis when they set their national standards and regulations on water.
The guidelines, meant for regulators and water utility companies, describe ways to keep water safe and the main risks to safe drinking water.
On desalination, they offer recommendations for treating and storing the desalinated water.
The WHO's decision to launch the guidelines - last updated in 2004 - at the SIWW reflects the event's growing stature.
Singapore's involvement in the drafting of the document also reflects the recognition it has earned for its water management expertise.
Singapore's contribution to the WHO document stems from a cooperation agreement it signed with the global public health organisation in 2007 to share its water expertise.
Professor John Fawell, an independent expert on the WHO committee that drew up the guidelines, said yesterday that Singapore's involvement 'has been very significant'.
Completion of the document would not be possible, he said, without experts like National University of Singapore toxicologist Ong Choon Nam and others from national water agency PUB.
Desalination, which supplies about 10 per cent of water here, is a key component of the Republic's water strategy. The first desalination plant in Tuas opened just six years ago and the ground-breaking for a bigger second plant takes place today.
More countries, such as Australia and Saudi Arabia, are also turning to desalination to meet their water needs.
The WHO guidelines launched yesterday also cover risks such as climate change and contamination by pharmaceutical drugs.
At least 884 million people around the planet do not have access to safe drinking water, and another two million die every year of water-borne diarrhoeal illnesses, said WHO coordinator Robert Bos.
The new guidelines provide the most help to these vulnerable groups, he said.
