Helping Pole Water Myanmar Position World S’pore strengthens S’pore obtains Manatees and more its cooperation observer status at at S’pore’s river- with Myanmar Arctic Council themed wildlife park

APR – JUN 2013 / ISSUE 46 A NEWSLETTER OF THE COOPERATION PROGRAMME

WORLD WATER DAY 2013 Coming together for water

Cover V3.indd 3 07/08/2013 18:58 E d ’s Not e CONTENTS 3 FOCUS Coming together Dear readers, for water Singapore celebrates s an island state, Singapore is surrounded by water. World Water Day each year, And Singapore is indeed fortunate to be able to spreading the message tap on technological advancements to produce clean of water conservation to water for consumption as well as commercial and ensure that the country’s industrial purposes. demand for water is sustainable A precious resource in so many ways, it is the theme of this issue of Experience Singapore, and 6 IN SINGAPORE perhaps a timely rejoinder of water’s impact in our lives. AFind out how Singapore celebrates this precious resource Water world Visitors to the newly- during the annual World Water Day activities in Coming together opened River Safari for water. can discover up close the Water also serves strategic purposes freshwater habitats found for Singapore’s relevance as an interna- in some of the world’s tional seaport, which sits on the path of most iconic rivers one of the busiest sea routes in the world. In Pole position, learn more about the 8 REFLECTIONS significance of Singapore being granted Old friends observer status in the Arctic Council in and neighbours May 2013. Singapore and Myanmar A new river-themed attraction is also deepen ties through making waves as Asia’s first and only riv- collaboration in er-themed wildlife park. In Water world, capacity-building read about the River Safari which offers visitors close encounters with freshwater 10 JOINING HANDS inhabitants from profiled rivers such as Pole position the Amazon, Mississippi, Congo, Nile, Singapore’s latest role Ganges, Murray, Mekong and Yangtze. as observer in the Arctic Like a constant and steady stream, Council gives it front Singapore’s collaboration with our friends row seats to making a in capacity-building is an ongoing ini- difference for the world’s tiative. Old friends and neighbours de- ocean resources tails how Singapore and Myanmar have deepened ties through an enhanced River Safari, technical assistance package – the Singapore-Myanmar Technical pg6 Cooperation Programme. We hope that you will find the magazine a good read.

Copyright © is held by the publishers. Director Keep All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Public Affairs Directorate in touch! Printed in Singapore by Times Printers. Ministry of Foreign Affairs Singapore Share with us your memories, photos and experiences in www.timesprinters.com. ISSN: 0219-2896 Singapore under the Experience Singapore is a publication of the Singapore Cooperation Public Affairs and Technical Cooperation Programme. Email us at Directorates of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, [email protected]. Singapore. The Singapore Cooperation Programme (SCP) is administered by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapore, and is aimed at sharing Singapore’s developmental experience with other developing countries.

Cover photo by Xxxxxx Publishing Consultant www.scp.gov.sg SCP Alumni @MFAsg Like on Facebook Follow us on Twitter MediaCorp Pte Ltd

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ExperienceSg V12.indd 2 12/08/2013 14:47 Focus Coming WATER CONSERVATION together

for water HE LAST 50 YEARS has seen Singapore diver- sify its water supply, but merely putting in place Singapore celebrates the infrastructure to supply water is not enough. World Water Day As Singapore’s population and economy continue to grow, the need to conserve water has become each year, spreading increasingly important. The annual World Water the message of water TDay (WWD) — designated by the United Nations General Assembly to mark the importance of water conservation to ensure in daily life — is observed in Singapore every year in that the country’s a bid to encourage the country’s residents to adopt better water consumption habits. demand for water is This year, about 35,000 people commemorated WWD on 16 March, with the theme “Every Drop sustainable. WORDS BY FAIROZA MANSOR Photos courtesy of PUB: Angie Ng Counts”. Celebrations were held across 11 sites, including Marina Barrage, the Lorong Halus Wet- land (Serangoon Reservoir), Kallang River @ Bishan- Ang Mo Kio Park, Jurong Lake and Lower Seletar Reservoir. The festivities at Marina Barrage — built

Singapore’s Prime Minister joined 3,000 people in the formation of a giant water droplet on the rooftop of the Marina Barrage

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ExperienceSg V12.indd 3 12/08/2013 14:47 Focus WATER CONSERVATION

to create Singapore’s 15th and only city reservoir — The giant Addressing those present, PM Lee urged Singa- water droplet took centrestage as Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee formed by 3,000 poreans to work together to conserve water. “In many Hsien Loong and Minister for the Environment and participants countries, people don’t have access to clean water. Water Resources, Dr , joined in Here in Singapore, we’ve got clean water in our res- the celebrations. ervoirs, from our taps, in our homes, in our lives,” he The event kickstarted with a morning walk which said. We need to work together to use this precious was conceived as a reminder of the challenges faced resource responsibly, he added, calling water conser- by people from countries with little or no access to vation a “national project”. clean water. PM Lee officially launched WWD by Other activities organised included a sailing pouring a pitcher containing raw water collected clinic conducted by the Singapore Sailing Federa- from various reservoirs in Singapore into a tray, to tion, a story-telling segment by the National Library symbolise the importance of reservoirs as a source Board and a mass yoga session on the green roof of of water supply. Thereafter, he joined 3,000 people Marina Barrage. in the formation of a giant water droplet on the roof Singaporeans from other parts of the island were top of Marina Barrage. This formation represents the not left out. Over at Lorong Halus Wetland, a landfill importance of collective efforts in saving water. “In Singapore, we’ve got clean water in our rreservoirs,eservoirs from our taps, iinn our hhomes,om in our lives. WWee need to work together ttoo use thithiss precious resource responsibly.” MRR LEE HSHSIENIEN LOLOONG,ONG, SINGAPORE’SSINGAPORE S PPRIMERIME MMINISTERINISTER

Minister for Defence Dr (left) and Sam Tan, Mayor of Central Singapore District at Bishan - Ang Mo Kio Park

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ExperienceSg V12.indd 4 12/08/2013 14:47 IMPORTED WATER Singapore continues to import water from the state of Johor, Malaysia, under the 1962 Water FOUR NATIONAL TAPSS Agreement which will be in effect until 2061. Singapore’s water comes from the following sources DESALINATED WATER Desalinated water has been a part of Singapore’s LOCAL CATCHMENT WATER NEWATER water supply since 2005. Sea water goes through a Two-thirds of Singapore’s land area NEWater, introduced in 2003, is produced pre-treatment process to remove suspended particles. is water catchment, and rainwater is by purifying treated used water using In the second stage, the water undergoes reverse collected and stored in 17 reservoirs advanced membrane technologies namely, osmosis, the same technology used in the production around the island, making it the microfi ltration, reverse osmosis and of NEWater. Afterer only city in the world where urban ultraviolet disinfection. NEWater is safe treatment, desalinatedlinated stormwater harvesting is carried out for drinking, but has mainly been used for water is blendedd withwith on such a large scale. industrial and air-con cooling purposes at treated water beforeefore wafer fabrication parks, industrial estates it is supplied to hhomesomes and commercial buildings. During dry and industries inn months, NEWater is also used to top-up the western partt Singapore’s reservoirs. of Singapore.

now transformed into a wetland teeming with biodiversity, about 1,000 residents living in the North- Eastern part of Singapore gathered for a mass picnic. Dragonboating on Joining in a mass clean-up of Lorong Halus and Seran- Marina Reservoir goon Reservoir in kayaks was Coordinating Minister was part of the programme at the for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs Marina Barrage and Deputy Prime Minister . Over at Jurong Lake, in the western part of Singapore, an art installation sculpture made from 11,121 used plastic water bottles was unveiled. Made by students from Bukit View Secondary School over a period of two months,hs, thethe sculpture illustrated the amount of water,water, a whoppingwhopping 4,560 litres, consumed by an indindi-i- vidual in Singapore over 3030 days. The art installation was meantmeant to remind individuals on howhow they can play their partt to cut down on water usage.e.

Water Wally, the mascot for water conservation Students took home tangible reminders of the importance of conserving water

EMBRACING TECHNOLOGY Singapore shared its water management strategy at the 2nd Asia-Pacifi c Water Summit (APWS) held in Chiang Mai, Thailand on 20 May 2013. The Summit was organised by the Thai government to explore — among other issues — the various challenges in securing water resources and mitigating water-related natural disasters. Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Singapore’s Minister for the Environment and Water Resources told regional leaders and development agencies how Singapore — with the involvement of private companies — integrated its storage and drainage systems to ease the huge strain water and sanitation networks come under due to rapid development. Singapore has also implemented new water purifying technologies such as reverse osmosis on a large scale. Using such technology ensures that the price of water charged to the consumer is the actual cost of producing it — this in turn encourages people to conserve water and “send the correct signals to private sector investors”, said Dr Balakrishnan. It also meant they had the incentive to work with the Government in producing the best water.

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ExperienceSg V12.indd 5 12/08/2013 14:47 In Singapore CALL OF THE WILD Water World Visitors to the newly- opened River Safari can discover up close the freshwater habitats found in some of the world’s most iconic rivers. WORDS BY FAIROZA MANSOR

SIA’S FIRST AND ONLY water fishes, the Mekong Giant river-themed wildlife park, Singa- Catfish can grow up to 3m in length Apore’s River Safari can easily double and the stingray can reach 5m. up as the set of an Indiana Jones Then there is the Giant River adventure movie — except that its Otter, one of the world’s biggest exotic plants and animals are as real species, at up to 1.8m in length. as they come. It can be viewed at the Amazon The park, which opened its River zone, one of the eight river doors to the public on 3 April habitats in the park. The other rivers 2013, offers close encounters with profiled are the Mississippi, Congo, river inhabitants including river Nile, Ganges, Murray, Mekong and to replicate a cross-sectional view The Mekong Giant Catfi sh giants and megafishes such as the Yangtze. of a particular river. Besides these, is one of the Mekong Giant Catfish and the Giant A wide, meandering path allows the Amazon River and the Yangtze star attractions at the Mekong Freshwater Stingray. Considered visitors to explore the 12-hectare zones also have special exhibits, River zone one of the world’s largest fresh- park with ease. At every turn, visi- most notable of which are of tors will be “immersed” in a differ- course, the Giant Pandas Kai Kai ent river zone, its freshwater habitat and Jia Jia. displayed in an aquarium designed On loan from the China Wild- life Conservation Association, the two pandas make their home at the Giant Panda Forest, located in the Yangtze River zone. In Wild Ama- zonia in the Amazon River zone, visitors can get a close-up view of species that are only safe to look at from behind a glass wall — like anacondas and piranhas.

Colourful fi shes such The Red Panda as the Jewel Cichlid also makes its can be seen at the home at the Giant Congo River exhibit Panda Forest

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Photos courtesy of Wildlife Reserves Singapore Giant Panda Forest atthe hold court Kai andJia Forest zone Amazon Flooded in the22mhigh swim gracefully www.riversafari.com.sg Singapore 729826 80 MandaiLake Road RIVER SAFARI like agreat explorer here!” eight year-old son,Louis,said,“Ifeel species onshow. AsMrsSteidman’s species) andmore than150plant species (including42endangered specimens representing 300animal the wild.” waters whichare normallymurkyin tunity toseewhatlivesinfresh, river ever seenbefore. It’s arare oppor- said: “[RiverSafari]isnothinglikeI’ve tourist from theUnited Kingdom, — swimamonggianttrees. world’s largest scaledfreshwater fish manatees andarapaimas—the about 18animalspeciesincluding season, whentheriverrises.Here, merged everyyearduring therainy American rainforest that issub- high aquaticdisplayoftheSouth Flooded Forest isthestunning 22m- The centrepiece ofthe Amazon can board a boat that brings brings that aboat board can Manatees Crowd favorites Crowd edges of the River. the of Amazon edges than 30 fascinating animal species that live along the the live along that species These include the the include These All in,there are about5,000animal As MrsAnnaSteidman,41,a end of this year, visitors year, this of end visitors them up close to more tomore close up them QUEST Brazilian Tapir, AMAZON RIVER AMAZON RIVER Giant Anteater When the When the opens at the the at opens and and jaguar, . It waters waters w [ vrS fari Sa iver “[R ’ s a rare opportunity to see like like I hat lives in fresh, river murkyin the tourist from the United Kingdom ’ ve ever seen before. w MRS ANNA STEIDMAN, ANNAMRS STEIDMAN, hich hich are normally ] is nothing w ild! ”

SPOT THEM! TO LOOK OUTFOR OF EXOTIC ANIMALS ARE STILLPLENTY VIEW, FULL THERE IN DENS OR JUSTNOT NAPPING INTHEIR IF THEPANDAS ARE The pair of The largest amphibian. River Zone istheworld’s SALAMANDER attheYangtze The chunks outof aprey. shaped teeth thatcanripgiant River Nilezone. Ithasdagger- TIGERFISH The ferocious AFRICAN swims about, to trap food. which isalways openasit a rostrum —andalarge mouth with itsspatula snout—called River zone isa curious sight (above) attheMississippi The endangered PADDLEFISH a momentof rest. — they never seem to stop for enclosure are amazingly active species —attheWild Amazonia — acriticallyendangered CHINESE GIANT CHINESE GIANT EXPERIENCE SINGAPORE SINGAPORE EXPERIENCE GIANT RIVEROTTERS can be seen at the can beseen atthe

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7 ExperienceSg V12.indd 8 APR 8 APR - 2013 JUN Re Old friends and collaboration in capacity-building. collaboration in Singapore andMyanmar deepen ties through ISSUE 46 ISSUE Ł SUPPORTING MYANMAR’S DEVELOPMENT SUPPORTING ections neighbours

public administration. administration. public human resource developmentand building ineconomicdevelopment, reform process through capacity- is designedtosupportMyanmar’s pore inJanuary2012.TheSMTCP U TheinSein’s toSinga- StateVisit (SMTCP) —duringPresident Technical CooperationProgramme package —theSingapore-Myanmar an enhancedtechnicalassistance ed Myanmar’s reforms byoffering reform process, Singapore support- When Myanmarembarkedonits DOING MORE regional integration. enhance theircapacitiestopromote help thenewmembersofASEAN gramme initiatedbySingapore to Integration (IAI).TheIAIisapro- and undertheInitiativeforASEAN Cooperation Programme (SCP), bilaterally underthe Singapore technical assistancetoMyanmar of Myanmar’s development. Singapore asasteadfast supporter Sein, President Tan alsodescribed ed byMyanmarPresident UThein Speaking attheStateBanquethost- toMyanmarinApril2013. State Visit this pointduringSingapore’s first President Tony Tan KengYam made ARE OLDFRIENDS.” “SINGAPORE ANDMYANMAR in April2013. toMyanmarState Visit during thelatter’s President Tony Tan welcoming Singapore U TheinSein(left)

Myanmar President Singapore hasbeenproviding Singapore 12/08/2013 14:48

Photo: Gettyimages Myanmar Union Minister in the President’s Offi ce U Soe Thane receiving a briefi ng on Singapore’s experience in urban planning at the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) during his visit in December 2012.

Since the launch of the SMTCP, “We are very keen on helping we have conducted 35 training “We are very keen Myanmar. If this country takes off, courses and study visits for Myan- on helping Myanmar. it’s good for ASEAN,” said Singa- mar officials in legal affairs, bank- pore’s Emeritus Senior Minister ing and finance, public housing If this country takes off, during a bilateral and urban planning. it’s good for ASEAN.” visit to Myanmar in June 2013. These included high-level SINGAPORE’S EMERITUS SENIOR MINISTER In particular, Singapore is programmes, such as the study GOH CHOK TONG doing more in the area of voca- visit led by Myanmar Union tional education to help Myanmar Minister in the President’s Office build up a pool of skilled workers U Soe Thane in December 2012. to attract foreign investments The delegation learnt about into the country. In April 2013, Singapore’s Foreign Direct Invest- We are also implementing a Myanmar the Singapore Government an- Deputy Minister ments (FDI) and industrial poli- comprehensive suite of training for Information nounced its plan to set up a cies, as well as our experience in courses for Myanmar officials to U Ye Htut giving modest vocational training insti- a mock media industrial park development. help prepare them for Myanmar’s interview as part tute (VTI) in Yangon. The VTI will In April 2013, Myanmar Union ASEAN Chairmanship in 2014. of the strategic help train Myanmar trainers in media management Attorney-General Dr Tun Shin also workshop in areas such as hospitality, electrical led a legal study visit to Singapore. A NEW CHAPTER Singapore, skills and electronics, engineer- Following the visit, Singapore con- Both Governments are continu- April 2013. ing services, and facilities man- ducted a legal workshop for the ally exploring ways to broaden agement. The VTI is expected Myanmar Attorney-General Office collaboration in new areas such to train its first batch of trainers in June 2013. as agriculture and finance. next year.

Legal workshop for the Myanmar Attorney- General Offi ce in June 2013.

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ExperienceSg V12.indd 9 12/08/2013 14:48 Joining Hands BREAKING THE ICE

Pole position Singapore’s latest role as observer in the Arctic Council gives it front row seats to making a difference for the world’s FTER A YEAR and a half “We look forward to contributing Aof lobbying, Singapore has been to the work of the Arctic Coun- ocean resources. granted observer status in the Arctic cil. Singapore is not situated in WORDS BY ARTI MULCHAND Council. Comprising eight member the Arctic, but developments there states — the United States, Russia, — whether the melting of the ice Canada, Iceland, Denmark (rep- cap or opening of new sea routes resenting Greenland and the Far- — will have important implications oes), Finland, Norway and Sweden for Singapore as a low-lying island — the Council acts as a high-level and international seaport.” intergovernmental forum for politi- cal, economic, environmental and GAINING INSIGHT scientific cooperation in the Arctic. As an observer, Singapore will get Singapore joins the ranks of 11 oth- to attend working group sessions er countries with observer status, and be able to share experiences which allows attendance at Council and expertise on maritime issues, meetings and contribution to the and give it an insight into significant Council’s subsidiary bodies. changes in the region that will have Singapore’s observer status an impact on the country. For one, was announced in the Swedish the melting ice has made way for High North city of Kiruna in May a new shipping route in the north this year. The interest of Singapore, which cuts travel time from Europe a tropical city-state, in the icy north to Asia by half. This route, which last might be baffling at first sight, but year carried 46 vessels and 1.2m the rapid thawing of the Arctic ice tonnes of cargo, a third more than cap has far-reaching consequences in 2011, could divert shipping that for the Republic. now goes through the Suez Canal In a statement following the and Singapore, one of the world’s good news, Singapore Prime busiest ports. Minister Lee Hsien Loong said, Also, as a low-lying island,

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ExperienceSg V12.indd 10 12/08/2013 15:07 well placed to contribute their ex- pertise in this area. The Centre for Offshore Research and Engineering at the National University of Singa- pore, and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research have also been researching several related ar- eas including oil exploration in the harsh, sub-zero climate.

AIDING DEVELOPMENT Singapore also has broad exper- tise in running major port facilities, and could help develop port infra- structure for the predicted shipping boom. Meanwhile, the Republic has been developing vessels, drill- ing rigs and oil rigs that can be used in the Arctic region. Five years The meeting includes the Barents and Norwegian ago, Keppel Singmarine built Asia’s room in Kiruna City Hall before seas — is home to one-fifth of the first two icebreakers for Russia’s Lu- the Ministerial world’s fisheries. koil. The icebreakers can operate Meeting began. “Singapore is now an ocean state in temperatures as low as minus 45 A pair of ice with an important maritime sector,” degrees Celsius, and cut through breakers built by Keppel said Singapore’s Special Envoy for ice blocks of more than 1.7m thick. Singmarine. Arctic Affairs Kemal Siddique. The company is now working on the The Arctic Council was set up in world’s first Arctic ice-worthy and 1996, and its rotating two-year chair- green jack-up floating oil rig. Also manship was handed over to Canada in the works is the next generation at the May 15 ministerial meeting. of vessels such as Arctic lifeboats. Besides Singapore, five other nations With an established track record “Singapore is not — China, India, Italy, Japan and South of responsible maritime policies, situated in the Arctic, but Korea — were also granted observer Singapore will be able to contribute developments there — status on the council, bringing the to- in areas such as oil spill prevention whether the melting of tal number of observer nations to 12. and maritime traffic management. the ice caps or opening of Existing observer nations are Britain, For example, the Maritime and Port new sea routes will have Germany, France, the Netherlands, Authority of Singapore has com- Poland and Spain. mitted up to S$100 million over the important implications next few years in incentives to own- for Singapore as a A NEW FRONTIER ers of Singapore-flagged vessels low-lying island and Over the last few years, Singapore that can create energy-efficient and international seaport.” has been deepening its understand- environment-friendly ship designs. SINGAPORE PRIME MINISTER LEE HSIEN LOONG ing of the region and marketing its Finally, Singapore has a con- expertise in shipping, coastal man- tinued stake in ensuring freedom agement and maritime governance. of navigation and the peaceful In his role as Special Envoy for Arctic resolution of maritime disputes. Affairs, Ambassador Siddique visited Ambassador-At-Large, Tommy Koh and established contact with the eight chaired the United Nations Con- Singapore is especially vulnerable Arctic states, as well as several Arctic vention on the Law of the Sea to rising sea levels. To be able to re- indigenous communities including about 30 years ago. Back then, the act effectively, it needs a front-row the Saami and the Inuit. law marked a milestone which pro- seat to any changes on this front. Singapore has plenty to gain from vided a framework for the global Being granted observer status a strong foothold in the north. governance of the world’s oceans in the Arctic Council also marks Besides being rich in seafood, the and seas. a significant change in how the Arctic, by some estimates, now holds It now plays an even more world sees Singapore; not just 13 per cent of the world’s undiscov- important role with the world’s as a maritime nation but as a ered oil reserves and 30 per cent of coastal population projected to country with a part to play in pro- undiscovered gas deposits. With sig- grow to six billion by 2025; and tecting the world’s ocean resourc- nificant expertise in LNG extraction as more and more of the ocean’s

Photos: Arctic Council Secretariat, Keppel Offshore & Marine, Gettyimages and Shutterstock Keppel Offshore Council Secretariat, Photos: Arctic es. The Arctic region — which infrastructure, Singaporean firms are resources is harvested.

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