 |
| |
Environmental management in Singapore has its roots in our early years of nationhood. From
the saplings of Tree Planting Day, Singapore has flourished into a clean and green city. Our
environmental performance has consistently been rated best among Asian countries, the US
and Australia by the Political and Economic Risk Consultancy.
Singapore’s environmental achievements are not the work of any single agency. We need to
collaborate with other government agencies and build up strong support from the public
and industry. In 1977, the Government launched a massive clean-up of the Singapore River.
Through a multi-agency effort, the once-polluted river was transformed into a clean and
bustling waterway, which will soon also become a reservoir in the city.
More recently, the National Environment Agency led an Inter-Agency Dengue Task Force to
coordinate mosquito control efforts. Volunteers from the grassroots and non-governmental
organisations and Singapore Pest Management Association also helped to search for and
destroy mosquito breeding habitats. Bringing together the resources of the 3P (people-privatepublic)
sectors has thus been instrumental in sustaining our high environmental standards.
But we cannot rest on our laurels. Challenges
such as flooding and climate change remind
us that the environment remains critical.
While flood-prone areas have been reduced
by over 95%, PUB, the national water agency,
continues to work with other agencies to reduce
inconveniences caused by flash floods. With
the growing global concern with climate change,
the National Climate Change Strategy was developed
in consultation with agencies, industry and
the public, so that Singapore can manage energy
usage and greenhouse gas emission levels for
sustainable development.
Many environmental challenges are transboundary in nature. To address the haze situation,
Singapore is working with regional governments to formulate a comprehensive Plan of Action.
We must continue to foster open dialogue with our international counterparts to address such
environmental issues.
Our environmental success has also opened up new opportunities. Today, Singapore is known
internationally for its strong capabilities in water management. To capitalise on this, we are
investing in environment and water technologies (EWT) with funding from the National
Research Foundation, to grow the economy and create jobs. By pooling together expertise
from the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, PUB, Economic Development
Board, International Enterprise Singapore and other agencies, we got off to a good start in
2006, successfully attracting EWT-related multinational corporations to Singapore and helping
Singapore-based companies to export their business.
We can go beyond managing the environment
to enhancing it. PUB’s Active, Beautiful and
Clean (ABC) Waters programme will transform
utilitarian canals into beautiful rivers which
serve as natural focal points for community
activities. The ABC programme reflects a creative
instinct to enhance our living environment
by harnessing our waterways. Working with
our 3P partners, we hope to generate more
of such ideas so that Singapore will remain
a sustainable and highly livable city.
Tan Yong Soon
Permanent Secretary
Ministry of the Environment
and Water Resources |
|
|
|
| |
|
