Singapore International Water Week
1-5 July 2012, Sands Expo and Convention Center, Marina Bay Sands
In the beginning of July, three major events were held in Singapore. They were: Singapore International Water Week (SIWW), World Cities Summit (WCS) and CleanEnviro Summit Singapore. More than 16,000 visitors from around the world attended. Plenary, round table discussions by sectors, and exhibitions were held in Marina Bay Sands, Singapore, from 1- 5 July, 2012.
Nusantara Infrastructure sent delegates to participate in Singapore International Water Week (SIWW). SIWW is the global platform for shaping and co-creating of innovative water solutions and this year’s theme was “Water Solutions for Liveable and Sustainable Cities”.
The event was opened by Mr. Lee Hsien Loong, Prime Minister of Singapore. The opening ceremony and welcome reception was attended by more than 1000 guests.
Site Visit
During the program, NI conducted site visits to some reservoirs. The first was Alexandra Canal Reservoir which stretchs 1,2 km from Tanglin Road to Delta Road. The canal has been transformed into an open waterway with softened banks that is integrated with adjacent developments. A short stretch of the open waterway was decked over to create a water cascade, while wetlands help cleanse the water and provide an opportunity for outdoor learning. It is also used as a recreational park. The canal supplies 5,1 million people from north to south side 22 km, and from west to east side 37 km. It cost USD 37 million to build and took 23 months to complete.
The second visit was MacRitchie Reservoir Phase 1. The reservoir was built in 1804. The development of the reservoir has been executed, included new multi-storey car park, amenities centre, and improved floating pontoon for kayakers. The natural environment at MacRitchie Reservoir was also enhanced with more greenery amid lush landscaping. The development enables the reservoir to be utilized as reservior, watersport, and park.
Kallang River @ Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park was the next destination. Facilities such as a viewing gallery and lookout decks were incorporated with The River Vista at Kallang, a housing development by HDB, complementing Kolam Ayer ABC Waterfront on the opposite bank of the river. Floating pontoon and boat shed was also constructed to facilitate kayaking activities.
Water Convention
The convention offered a platform for water professionals to share experiences and case studies on technological solutions to solve water challenges as well as examine issues related to urban water planning and water quality and health specifically in the East Asia, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East regions. It also enabled water professionals to examine trends and challenges faced by Asia-Pacific and the Middle East regions.
More than 650 companies participated in showcasing leading-edge technologies, product and services for innovative and sustainable water solutions, as well as 16 Group Pavilions representing Australia, Belgium, Canada, United Kingdom, and more, and the Water Environment Federation (WEF).
In-Conversation and Opening Plenary
The topic for plenary discussion was Sustainable Development - Our Cities, Water, and Environment.
High level speakers from the government, industry, and international organization sectors invited to share insights on the emerging challenges and solutions to sustainable development. The session was chaired by Prof. Tommy Koh, Ambassador-at-large, Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Chairperson of Water Leaders Summit.
The discussion pointed out that the increasing global population and rapid urbanization continue to put a strain on our water resources. According to the UN, as of 2010, it is estimated that 884 million people lack access to safe drinking water and more than billion people do not have access to basic sanitation. These challenges emphasize on the importance of having liveable and sustainable cities, with a safe, reliable, affordable supply of water, and a clean environment.
Water Leaders Roundtable
In line with the theme of “Water Solutions for Liveable and Sustainable Cities”, the Water Leaders Summit Roundtable looked into the role of water in sustainable urban planning. Successful examples of sustainable and integrated water in cities. The panelist shared insights and learning points from these case studies, and also discuss on some of the challenges and consideration in the planning and design of water-centric cities. The session chaired by Mr. Khoo Teng Chye, Executive Director, Centre for Liveable Cities.
At the end of the Roundtable, the Water Leaders Summit participants broke out into two workshops, held in parallel, to have focused discussion on two specific topics of interest in the current context. The session chaired by Ms. Cindy Wallis-Lage, President of Black and Veatch Water.
Southeast Asia Business Forum
The topic of the discussion was Inaugural Networking Session for Utilities and Companies Looking to Venture into the Southeast Asia Market.
The Business Forum offers industry leaders a spread of business networking, partnership information, and deal-making opportunities across nine key markets.
The session chaired by Mr. Tang Kin Fei, President of Singapore Water Association. And the networking reception attended by more than 100 guests.
Meetings
NI also set aside some time to meet with some prominent water companies. The meeting with Moya Asia discussed the opportunity for future cooperations in water projects. We meet with Hyflux to discuss the criteria of project to be pursued; the size of the project, to upgrade the system to membrane technology, the mapping of local water municipal for business opportunity.
The meeting with WABAG covered the water and waste water unsolicited project which included industrial and municipal water project, PPP project mapping and the opportunity of local water municipal which executing the project. During dinner with Mayor of Makassar, we discussed some opportunities of infrastructure projects in Makassar such as reclamation area for developing new industrial and commercial area, water projects, flyover, Tallo bridge and waste management project.
NI also meet with IESingapore to discuss ways to develop relationship with local water municipal, unsolicited B2B project and how to approach local water municipal through training and CSR activites. During dinner with PEMDA and PDAM Lampung, we discussed Lampung water project, greenfield and brownfield and explored other upcoming infrastructure projects. The following day we attended World Cities Summit Expo, WasteMET Asia Expo and Water Expo with them.
The meeting with STSE Engineering discussed the opportunity to explore future cooperation in providing water management system, while its system, Intelligent Water Management System (IWMS) enables quicker and efficient response to incidents eg. Water leaks, security intrusions, system demand, and environmental changes.
