Creating ripples with 'water diplomacy'

Pau Khan Khup Hangzo Today Online 26 Sep 12;

Singapore's innovative water solutions have been hailed as a success story.

Equally impressive, however, is the transformation of its water diplomacy. It has gone from bilateral engagement with Malaysia on water supply, to sharing the benefits of its water management experience with other countries.

Singapore's water diplomacy was in its formative years centred on relations with Malaysia. Due to geographical limitations, such as its small size and the lack of natural aquifers and groundwater, Singapore had been forced to look beyond its borders for its water supply.

Its engagement with Malaysia resulted in two landmark water agreements, signed in 1961 and 1962, respectively. The 1961 agreement obliged Malaysia to sell to Singapore 86 million gallons of water per day, and the 1962 agreement a further 250 million gallons per day. The 1961 agreement expired last year and the 1962 agreement will expire in 2060.

However, these water agreements are not without their problems. Following Singapore's independence in 1965, the price of water became a major irritant in relations between the two countries.

Malaysia's go-it-alone approach in arriving at a decision to raise the price of water raised concerns in Singapore. It was feared that such actions, if allowed, could set a precedent for unilateral action by Malaysia.

In the face of such issues, Singapore embarked on a programme of self-sufficiency in water. The country's treated waste water, dubbed NEWater, now accounts for 30 per cent of its total water needs.

Another 10 per cent of its water requirements are drawn from desalination plants in the country. Also, 67 per cent of Singapore's land area is now water catchment. These efforts have enabled Singapore to gradually reduce its water dependence on Malaysia, from 80 per cent in 1965 to 40 per cent last year.



SHARING EXPERTISE



The success of Singapore's self-sufficiency efforts has also heralded a new phase in its water diplomacy. Singapore is now actively engaging with international water issues in an effort to position itself as a "hydrohub".

The Singapore International Water Week (SIWW) is a case in point. Launched in 2008, the SIWW has become a major annual event for water practitioners around the world.

The meeting has enabled Singapore to showcase its experience and its innovative water solutions.

The SIWW also provides Singapore with the platform to explore opportunities in the integration of water solutions and urban planning with cities around the world.

For example, Singapore has shared its expertise in water-sector reform and waste-water management with countries such as Australia, India and Mauritius.

Water technologies have also become integral to Singapore's humanitarian assistance efforts. In response to the 2009 typhoon in the Philippines and the 2011 floods in Thailand, Singapore sent water quality monitoring and water purification equipment to enable victims to gain access to clean drinking water.

Singapore's experience in water management is becoming increasingly relevant and its water diplomacy timely.

Rapid urbanisation has put tremendous pressures on urban infrastructure, the environment and natural resources, especially in developing countries.

Singapore, through its water diplomacy, can help these countries confront the challenges associated with accelerating growth.


Pau Khan Khup Hangzo is Associate Research Fellow with the Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University.