Grants Pass, OR (PRWEB) September 12, 2014
Singapore Water, a state owned water reclamation and recycling agency, recently announced an expansion to allow more water for industrial customers. This from a tiny, overcrowded, formerly water poor nation that a few years ago, imported most of its fresh water from neighboring Malaysia. The recent expansion, described in a September 10, 2014, news article,* was praised by water advocate Sharon Kleyne, host of the Sharon Kleyne Hour Power of Water radio show, as another indicator of the success of Singapore Water as the “Model for the World.”
*(“New opportunities to tap for [Singapore] water industry.” Channel News Asia, September 10, 2014; http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/business/singapore/new-opportunities-to/1334784.html)
Sharon Kleyne hosts the syndicated Sharon Kleyne Hour Power of Water radio show, heard on VoiceAmerica and Apple iTunes. The show is sponsored by Bio Logic Aqua Research, a global research and technology center specializing in fresh water, the atmosphere and dehydration. Nature’s Tears® EyeMist® is the Research Center’s signature product for dry eyes. Kleyne is Bio-Logic Aqua’s Founder and Research Director.
Kleyne’s full comments regarding the recently announced Singapore Water expansion will be broadcast on the Sharon Kleyne Hour Power of Water show of September 15, 2014 (See: Sharon Kleyne Hour Power of Water; http://www.voiceamerica.com/show/2207/the-sharon-kleyne-hour)
The Singapore water project, according to Kleyne, began in 2002 following failed negotiations with neighboring Malaysia to continue to supply water to the tiny island city-state’s 5 million residents.
Working with consultants worldwide, says Kleyne, Singapore developed a “four tap” approach designed to attain water independence when the original 99 year contract with Malaysia expires in 2062. According to Kleyne, water independence has already been achieved, which is why Singapore Water is in a position to expand its customer base.
The holistic “four tap” components of the Singapore Water program, Kleyne explains, are: (1) Increased reservoir capacity, (2) continued imports from Malaysia, (3) greatly expanded reclamation and recycling of used water, and (4) desalination of sea water. Some of Singapore’s reclamation facilities have the capacity to recycle and purify used water to fully drinkable standards. Although most of the recycled drinkable water is returned to reservoirs and then re-processed through purification plants, it could be sold directly as drinking water.
One objective of Singapore Water that Kleyne supports is to make water easily and universally available at minimal cost. The system, Kleyne notes, was severely tested during a recent extended drought in Malaysia. While Malaysian water was rationed and prices were raised, Singapore was largely unaffected.
Singapore has been making a concerted effort to educate the rest of the world about water and to take the lead in water technology. One popular expression of this objective, according to Kleyne, is Singapore World Water Week.
The Singapore model would be especially applicable, says Kleyne, to a country such as Saudi Arabia, which is mostly desert, has no natural rivers and imports 90 percent of its water, making its water security vulnerable to attack, embargo and sabotage. .
According to Kleyne, even a water poor nation, where drought and shortages are rampant, infrastructure is minimal and the lack of safe and sufficient water greatly increases dehydration, disease and mortality, and inhibits economic growth, could adopt all or part of the Singapore Model. But the nation’s government must first be willing to make the commitment, secure the investment and bring together factions that now compete for water.
This is a daunting challenge, Kleyne admits, but she is confident that the model could be duplicated or adapted in many nations now struggling over water safety and security issues.