Singapore, 8 Mar 2023 – Singapore’s National Water Agency PUB has launched its annual “Make Every Drop Count” water conservation campaign this year, in conjunction with Singapore World Water Day (SWWD) celebrations in March. This year’s campaign reinforces the centrality of responsible water use and management in the nation’s sustainability efforts, encouraging individuals and businesses to play their part to contribute to building a sustainable water future for Singapore.
Everyone Can Contribute – Simple Actions, Sustainable Future
2. With the theme “Simple Actions, Sustainable Future”, PUB’s water conservation campaign reminds everyone – individuals, the community and businesses – to rethink their water use and incorporate good water habits as part of sustainability. While using water wisely and responsibly may be simple actions, these collectively make a big difference to our environment and Singapore’s water security. These actions range from simple water-saving habits done daily at home, recycling and reusing water, to adopting water-efficient processes and equipment in our industries.
Working Together for Water Sustainability
3. “Rising water demand and climate change will put greater strain on our valuable water resources. Water conservation remains key to ensuring the resilience of our water supply in the long term. We are encouraged to see strong participation from schools, community and corporate partners in Singapore World Water Day 2023, promoting the sustainable use of water from our homes to our industries. Indeed, everyone can play a part in water conservation. Together, our simple actions will contribute to a more sustainable water future for Singapore,” said Goh Si Hou, Chief Executive, PUB.
4. The immediate actions and commitment of sustainability-minded individuals and businesses to address water issues is essential and will help pave the way. Out in strength this month are the schools, community groups and corporate partners in the SWWD celebrations, actively sharing their efforts – from raising community awareness on water conservation, organising water rationing exercises, advocating the importance of protecting water resources, to showcasing their technologies and measures to drive more efficient and effective use of water resources within their organisations.
5. PUB will be rolling out a series of initiatives to boost water efficiency among the industrial water users, as future water demand growth is expected to come largely from the non-domestic sector. There will be new requirements mandating water recycling for the new projects in water-intensive sectors, namely wafer fabrication, electronics, and biomedical industries from 1 January 2024. Recycling water on-site for reuse will reduce companies’ water bill and contribute to their long-term competitiveness and resource resilience.
Groundswell of support for Singapore World Water Day
6. Over the past 15 years, the Singapore World Water Day remains a key community platform to rally ground-up support for water appreciation and conservation. This year, over 400 partners have come on board to support the water cause and organise water-related activities. Among them, 116 schools are organising Water Rationing Exercises (WRE) for the first time since 2019, involving over 34,000 students across the month.
7. Through the WRE, students get to experience the inconvenience of water shortage, and learn not to take Singapore’s clean and reliable water supply for granted. Tanjong Katong Girls’ School (TKGS) is one of the first schools to conduct a WRE on 8 March 2023, where students queued for water bags from PUB’s water wagons when supply was cut off temporarily during lunch time. Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu participated in a surprise WRE at Kong Hwa School the same day, giving out water bags to a class of primary students who experienced water disruption for the first time.
8. An SWWD partner for the third year running, TKGS is also conducting guided community learning trails along the Geylang River, complete with educational materials via QR codes along the river this year to foster appreciation for our waters. One of Singapore’s oldest rivers, Geylang River was transformed and revitalised under PUB’s Active, Beautiful and Clean Waters (ABC Waters) programme in 2014, with design elements that reflect the area’s past heritage as a Malay settlement.
9. “TKGS is in our third year of championing water education with PUB. Our girls have benefitted much in the process, bringing their classroom lessons on Singapore’s water story alive. Building on this partnership, our girls are taking a leap of faith to design a learning trail for primary schools in the community, using Geylang River in our backyard as an outdoor classroom. We are indeed happy that our girls are living out our school mission to become lifelong learners and good stewards of knowledge in service to the community and country,” said Ms Chew Ing Lim, Principal of TKGS.
10. On 18 March, around 1,500 representatives of PUB’s partners will participate in a mass ‘Walk for Water’ from Gardens by the Bay East to Marina Barrage, where they will celebrate SWWD through a morning of activities and showcases. The event will be graced by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong, together with Minister Grace Fu and Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment & Ministry of Transport, Dr Amy Khor.
11. Various community organisations and businesses will be carrying out water-themed activities to promote water conservation throughout the month of March. For example, Hong Kah Youth Network is organising a kayak clean-up to remind communities to keep our waterways clean and appreciate our water resources. Retailers like BEST Denki, COURTS, Gain City and Harvey Norman will be offering discounts on water-efficient appliances to encourage water sustainability within households. Partners are also rolling out over 70 blue-themed deals and promotions to demonstrate their commitment for the water cause. These include F&B outlets such as home-grown bubble tea chain LiHO Tea, and shopping malls and hotels like orchardgateway, Yue Hwa, Carlton City Hotel, The Westin Singapore, and Capitol Kempinski Hotel Singapore. [Please refer to fact sheet for the full list of partners]
Painting the Island blue on World Water Day
12. To commemorate the United Nation’s World Water Day on 22 March, over 50 prominent buildings and landmarks across the island will turn their existing lights blue for the signature City Turns Blue initiative in the evening from 18 to 22 March, as a mark of commitment to water sustainability. This initiative includes first-time partners like Village Hotel Sentosa, Yishun Community Hospital and Khoo Teck Puat Hospital. Returning for 2023 are also partners such as Singapore Sports Hub, Marina Bay Sands, Millennia Tower, Ocean Financial Centre, National Gallery Singapore, Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall, Marina Square, ION Orchard, Mount Faber Peak Building and Resorts World Sentosa.
13. The public are encouraged to join in the water conservation cause, and also take photos at their favourite locations and post them on social media with the hashtags #GoBlue4SG and #MakeEveryDropCount. More information about the various blue deals and initiatives can be found on the Make Every Drop Count campaign website.
More details on campaign materials and activities can be found in the fact sheet
About World Water Day
United Nations has officially identified World Water Day to be held annually on 22 March as a means of focusing attention on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources. An international day to celebrate freshwater was recommended at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). The United Nations General Assembly responded by designating 22 March 1993 as the first World Water Day. This year’s theme, “Groundwater: making the invisible visible”, spotlights groundwater as an important part of the climate change adaptation process and a solution for people without access to safe water.
-End-
