SINGAPORE, March 21 – Authors from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore (NUS), and the Third World Centre for Water Management in Mexico, have published The Singapore Water Story, after two years of research.
The 300-page book, published by Routledge, provides an objective analysis of Singapore’s water and wastewater management, alongside its urban planning and economic development since the country’s independence in 1965. In a statement, NUS said the book critically examines how the city-state, notwithstanding scant natural resources and a high dependency on external water sources, transformed its water and wastewater management into one of the best in
the world today.
It chronicles the setting up of the Public Utilities Board — to replace the City Council and its inherent bureaucracy — marking the move towards stringent regulations and use of legislation to control and harness water. A number of chapters also discuss Singapore’s evolving framework to meet demands on domestic and industrial water uses; the implementation of pricing and mandatory water conservation strategies; and the promotion of nature and recreational activities related to its waterways.
In addition, the book analyses the role of the media in water negotiations between Singapore and its neighbour Malaysia, at times contentious and often regarded as an analogue for wider bilateral relations. The authors — Dr Cecilia Tortajada and Prof. Asit K. Biswas, President and Founder of Third World Centre for Water Management, respectively, and Yugal Joshi, a former Research Fellow at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy — analysed plans, policies, institutions, laws and regulations as well as interviewed key actors in related agencies within the Singapore government.
BERNAMA
