Speech by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at Singapore World Water Day

Good morning everybody!

Very happy to be here with you and congratulations to all of you who walked here, cycled here, jogged here, paddled here.  Welcome to World Water Day!  Today we celebrate the importance of clean water to all of us.  In Singapore, we take it for granted but in many countries people do not have access to clean drinking water.  But here we have clean water in our reservoirs, in our taps, in our homes, in our lives and our rivers. Reservoirs are not just for drinking water but also for kayaking, dragon boating, fishing, having fun. 

We are here because we have worked hard at doing this.  We have made this a priority for all of us – investing in our national water supply, reservoirs, catchment areas, having “Save Water” campaigns, cleaning up our rivers and integrating them into our city, into our homes and living environment like Marina Barrage.  It has taken many years to make this Marina Barrage and to create a reservoir which collects rain water and which ensure calm waters year round so that families can come here to picnic, fly kites and enjoy the view. 

I think we have to continue to work together to make sure that we always have clean water, reliable water, enough water for all of us.  The Government does its part. We build the infrastructure, the reservoirs, the purification plants, the network, the NEWater capacity which is to come, the Deep Tunnel Sewerage System so that after we have used the water, we can collect it, clean it up, use it again.  But it also depends on all of you, each one of us, using the water responsibly and starting young. In primary school learning about the water conservation programme, or doing the Shower Dance like Rochelle and her friend from River Valley Primary School just now.  I think if we can make that dance every day as we shower, we will have a lot more fun.  We may get a little bit fitter and also we will save some water in the process. 

I think we need to work together to save water, promote conservation and encourage the idea in different and sometimes cute ways.  I learnt about one by a Ngee Ann Poly student called “Let Aaron Shower”. He went on the social media to encourage people to support the water conservation effort and he was looking for 1,500 pledges to share water, to save water and he wanted 600,000 likes and shares on his Facebook page before he would take a shower.  He took two weeks and eventually after two weeks, he got 600,000 impressions, he got the pledges and he took a shower.  I do not know whether his family and girlfriend agree it was a good idea but I think it is a cute way to get people to focus on this and to think about this. 

We have done it but it is not automatic. It is actually a lot of work and we have to keep on working at it together.  Very happy that there are so many supporters here today, 35,000 altogether, many of you are here, quite a number are in Lorong Halus and other reservoirs in Lower Seletar, all over Singapore participating. With our community partners too, Waterway Watch Society, Commonwealth Secondary School, Keppel Club.  This is the theme of this year’s World Water Day, “International Year of Water Cooperation”.

Have an enjoyable morning.  Thank you once again for participating and please save water and make this our national project in Singapore.  Thank you very much.