SINGAPORE \u2013 Singapore is seeking the best water technology to improve energy efficiency<\/span><\/a> <\/span><\/a>in the sector<\/span><\/a> and strengthen resilience against the impacts of climate change, said Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu.<\/p>\n Speaking at a ministerial panel on water governance at the Singapore International Water Week on June 16, she warned that climate risks could affect two of the nation\u2019s four water sources \u2013 water from local water catchment areas and imported water. These are dependent on rainfall.<\/p>\n Singapore\u2019s other water sources are reclaimed water, or NEWater, and desalinated water.<\/p>\n Climate risks could affect the amount of rainwater that is captured through waterways and reservoirs here and in Malaysia, which supplies Singapore with some water.<\/p>\n \u201cIf there is a drought in Singapore, there is probably a drought in Malaysia, and then what do we do? The first tap will be affected, and second tap will be impacted. So, we really have to think about how to generate new sources of water,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n This is why recycled and desalinated water is critical to ensuring water resilience.<\/p>\n However, how much water flows from these taps hinges on resources such as equipment, technology, knowledge and capital. Desalination in particular is energy-intensive and uses large amounts of electricity.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are not satisfied with just getting what is available. We want to invest with the best technology available, so for every new water infrastructure that we put in place, we want to aim for improvement,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Noting that climate change is a big challenge and that the nation wants to keep to its net-zero targets, she said that energy efficiency is a priority.<\/p>\n \u201cThe next phase of our investments is indeed very critical. We want to partner again with the industry, international players that can bring to us new energy efficiency management tools,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Beyond investing in newer water plants, Fu noted that innovation in planning and policy is also crucial.<\/p>\n For instance, big industrial players such as semiconductor plants and data centres should also recycle water on-site, she said.<\/p>\n This will not only help to reduce overall water demand and increase the resilience of the system but also allow waste and contaminants to be treated locally, which is more energy efficient.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen all the industries discharge into one common system, PUB has to deal with a whole host of contaminants to recycle.<\/p>\n \u201cBut if you are able to do it at the local level… that is actually dealing with fewer chemical discharge, fewer types of waste, and therefore actually requires less energy, less chemicals to recycle,\u201d she said. PUB is the national water agency.<\/p>\n She noted that there is currently a requirement for large water users here to recycle water where they are.<\/p>\n Since January 2024, PUB has mandated recycling requirements<\/span><\/a> for new projects in water-intensive sectors, such as those in wafer fabrication, electronics and biomedical industries.<\/p>\n Grants are also given to encourage companies to adopt water- and energy-efficient technologies, said Fu.<\/p>\n For example, PUB\u2019s Water Efficiency Fund launched in 2007 had its funding enhanced in 2023 to further encourage companies to continuously improve water efficiency.<\/p>\n The ministerial panel also included representatives from China, the United Arab Emirates and Nigeria, and was moderated by the World Bank Group\u2019s regional vice-president for East Asia and the Pacific Carlos Felipe Jaramillo.<\/p>\n At the panel, Abu Dhabi Department of Energy\u200b chairman Abdulla Humaid Saif Al Jarwan outlined the water strategy in Abu Dhabi, including having a unified water system which focused on the security of water supply, water sustainability and affordability.<\/p>\n \u201cHaving the right water system will enable the economy to grow. It will guide the trust and make sure that the growth is sustainable,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n (From left) World Bank Group\u2019s regional vice-president for East Asia and Pacific Carlos Felipe Jaramillo moderating a ministerial panel on water governance with Abu Dhabi Department of Energy\u200b\u2019s chairman Abdulla Humaid Saif Al Jarwan, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu, Nigerian Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation Joseph Utsev and China\u2019s Vice-Minister of Water Resources Zu Leiming on June 16.<\/p>\n ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n China\u2019s Vice-Minister of Water Resources Zu Leiming spoke about China\u2019s flood management strategies against the intensifying impact of climate change, which has led to extreme weather events.<\/p>\n He said that China has continuously upgraded its capacity to defend against floods and droughts, and accelerated the development of a reliable flood and drought prevention system.<\/p>\n For example, the country conducts systematic, scientific and safe water-control projects in river basins, and follows the patterns of flood occurrences and evolution to strengthen forecasting, early warning and contingency planning.<\/p>\n \u201cOver the past five years, we have successfully defended against 4,136 river floods exceeding the warning levels, and overcome some unprecedented flood disasters on major rivers\u2026,\u201d said Zu.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have protected 7,854 towns and 5.46 million ha of farmland from inundation. Thus, the proportion of loss caused by flood to the country\u2019s GDP has decreased from 0.28 per cent in the previous five years to 0.17 per cent,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n SINGAPORE \u2013 Singapore is seeking the best water technology to improve energy efficiency in the sector and strengthen resilience against the impacts of climate change,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":61549,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2611],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-61548","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-buzz-headlines","wpcat-2611-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61548","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=61548"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61548\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/61549"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=61548"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=61548"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=61548"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/picture><\/div>
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