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SINGAPORE: Singapore's quest to be less dependent on Malaysia for its water supply came about from day one when the country separated from its neighbour in 1965, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew revealed on Wednesday.
Speaking at a dialogue session during the inaugural Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize Award Ceremony, Mr Lee recounted what happened during the early days of independence and explained why water is so crucial to the survival of Singapore.
He said even then, he believed new technology would steer Singapore towards eventual self-sufficiency.
"How do we retrieve water from unprotected catchments, so that the first flush goes off to the sea and the second one is collected and is usable?
"So, I set up a unit in my office and I had a very good engineer who was head of the department and we set out systematically from day one (in) 1965 (to) get every drop of water in Singapore potable...
"If every drop of the 96 inches of rain that Singapore gets a year were collected and consumed, could we have enough for the population of 2 million then?"
Today, Singapore has several water treatment plants which also provide water to industries.
But globally, Mr Lee said the misuse of water in agriculture is a problem, like switching on grass sprinklers in the day.
He said, "I just can't understand why we are doing this? Hasn't somebody invented something that'll make sure that the water drips onto the grass in the evenings when it's cool and the loss of evaporation is minimal? But no, they work 9 to 5 and so they press it on in the afternoon when evaporation is highest and then they close (it) at 5."
He said countries could learn from the Israeli example of drip irrigation - a method which minimises the use of water and fertiliser by allowing water to drip slowly to the roots of plants.
Mr Lee added that he believes water reclamation and waste management will be a huge industry because every society, especially China and India, will have to cope with the problem of water shortage.
When asked if Singapore would be able to sustain the same level of progress without its founding father, the minister mentor said the city state's leaders are built on credibility.
He noted that the problem with a free election system is that when the electorate gets bored, they may place their trust in the opposition. Then, Mr Lee explained, all bets are off because in just five years a country can be ruined.
"If you are Canada or Australia, (which are) resource-rich, the swing of (the) commodity cycle will lift you back. But when you are Singapore, and your system depends on performance... when that performance disappears because the system which it is based (on) is eroded, then you've lost everything."
Mr Lee said Singapore is too small a country to help change the world, but it is willing to share its knowledge of purifying water with others.
He said, "We did not do this by ourselves, we climbed on other peoples' shoulders; we brought things together and built on them. We're happy to have people climb on our shoulders - whether you're from the Middle East, China, India... it's a collaborative effort.
"The world will need this because what we have assumed was limitless, endless supplies of water... we have found it not to be so, and we (have) found a way out of it."
Mr Lee's advice to other governments is – to have a government that the people support and have confidence in; to have a leadership that's above board, where decisions are made not for personal gain but because it is necessary for the country; and to have able men in charge. - CNA/ac
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