"If anyone had suggested in 1965 that within fifty years Singapore could dream of achieving water self-sufficiency, he or she would have been laughed out of court."
- Kishore Mahbubani, Dean
Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy
National University of Singapore
Yet this impossible goal is on its way to being realized in 2061 when the existing agreements to buy water from Malaysia will lapse - thanks to Mr Lee Kuan Yew.
Mr Lee came into power at a time when the country faced serious water challenges. Water rationing exercises were common. The two agreements to buy water from Malaysia did not give Mr Lee peace of mind.
Malaysia’s first prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman once remarked to a British diplomat that he would “switch off the water supply” if Singapore did not do what he wanted.
The priority that Mr Lee placed on water is reflected in his words said at the inaugural Singapore International Water Week in 2008: “This [water] dominated every other policy. EVERY OTHER POLICY HAD TO BEND AT THE KNEES FOR WATER SURVIVAL."
In other words, almost from day one, Singapore has ranked water as a top priority.
Right from the beginning Mr Lee had determined that it was important for us to use every drop of water that came down from the sky. Today Singapore is one of just a few countries in the world to harvest urban storm water for future use.
The idea to turn waste water or sewage into potable drinking water began in the 1970s but it took decades of research and gruelling work by PUB engineers before NEWater was officially launched in 2003.
Our increasing self-sufficiency in water meant that water could no longer be used by Malaysia as a political leverage against Singapore and henceforth both countries could focus on mutually beneficial cooperation.
NEWater will meet 40% of our water needs by 2020 and 55% by 2060.
Desalinated water can meet up to 25% of water needs.
Water collected in reservoirs will meet the rest of our water needs.
The Marina Barrage (17th reservoir) is a man-made marvel of engineering innovations that had won many international awards including the top prize at the American Academy of Environmental Engineers’s Excellence in Environmental Engineering Competition in 2009.
The result of Singapore's relentless quest to look for water solutions means that today Singapore is a global leader in water research.
The water research institutes in NUS and NTU are ranked No. 1 and 2 respectively by Lux Research's ranking for top water research institutes in the world. (See here: http://bit.ly/1Fpnsxt)
The Marina Barrage is more than just a dam. It is Mr Lee Kuan Yew's gift to us of the can-do Singapore Spirit where seemingly impossible dreams can be turned to reality.
#thankyouLKY #rememberingLKY
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