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conomic

evelopment

and

ater

During times of crisis, PUB also provided humanitarian assistance

and support to Thailand’s Metropolitan Water Authority when the

latter encountered floods in 2011.

To get Singaporeans to conserve, value and enjoy our waters,

PUB’s strategy is to encourage them to build relationships

with water. The Active, Beautiful, Clean Waters (ABC Waters)

Programme, introduced in 2006, represented a paradigm shift:

instead of keeping people away to maintain the cleanliness of

the waters, PUB opened up the reservoirs and rivers for recrea-

tional activities and created beautiful landscapes with community

spaces for all to enjoy. By creating opportunities for Singaporeans

to bond with water, the ABC Waters Programme helps encourage

them to be joint stewards of water, committed to cherishing and

conserving water.

Cooperation helps PUB to deliver its mission better

: PUB leverages

the private sector’s strengths to supplement its efforts to deliver

our mission. Through public-private partnership (PPP) schemes, it

aims to bring together the expertise and resources of the public and

private sectors to provide services to the public. For instance, by

involving the private sector in the design, build and operation of the

plants, PUB is able to obtain the best value for money and produce

water in a cost-effective manner.

In addition, as some of Singapore’s water infrastructure plants

are operated privately, this gives PUB a common platform to bench-

mark its operations against private companies operating under

similar conditions. For example, the SingSpring Desalination Plant

(a PPP project with Hyflux Limited) has not only provided PUB

with cost-effective desalinated water, it also demonstrated how the

private sector continues to innovate. By optimizing its operations

and making its processes more efficient, PUB would then be able to

pass the savings on to its customers.

Cooperating with the water industry gives PUB a wide spectrum

of technology to tap into and improve efficiency. PUB’s proac-

tive approach to provide incentives for companies to grow and do

research in Singapore has kept it at the forefront of

solutions that can help to solve its water challenges.

Working with partners to grow a vibrant

water industry

Over the years, PUB has leveraged its experience in tack-

ling water challenges to create a vibrant water industry

in Singapore. It has built on this to create a hub for

water technology, by sharing knowledge with others in

urban water management and helping to develop tech-

nologies to address new water challenges.

The Singapore Government has identified the water

and environment industry as a key economic growth

sector. It set up the Environment and Water Industry

Programme Office (EWI) in 2006 and committed S$470

million in research budget for the funding of water

R&D projects. This is a collaborative, multi-agency

effort which includes other agencies such as:

• Agency for Science, Technology and Research

• International Enterprise Singapore

• JTC Corporation

• Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources

• Ministry of National Development

• National Environment Agency

• National Research Foundation

• Nanyang Technological University

• National University of Singapore

• Singapore Economic Development Board

• SPRING Singapore

• Singapore Workforce Development Agency.

EWI’s objective is to strengthen the capabilities of the

Singapore water industry, and to contribute jobs and

economic development to Singapore. To achieve this,

3,000 Singaporeans form a giant water droplet and pledge to conserve water during World Water Day 2013

Image: PUB