The Tuas Desalination water plant in Singapore (Source: channelnewsasia.com) Hanoi (VNA) - Singapore’swater industry has annually contributed 2.5 billion SGD (1.84 billion USD)to the country’s economy and created 14,400 jobs to date, putting it on trackto meet its 2020 targets.
Accordingto the latest figures from Singapore's national water agency the Public Utilities Board (PUB) , the Economic Development Board (EDB), and EnterpriseSingapore show that since 2016, the sector has provided 400 jobs andcontributed 300 million SGD (221.3 million USD) to the national economy annually.
Speaking at the Singapore International Water Week held from July 8-12 in theframework of the World Cities Summit, Singaporean Deputy Prime Minister TharmanShanmugaratnam stressed that this growth is important amid the growing risks frompoorly managed urbanisation, climate change, and infectious disease threats indeveloping countries and across the globe.
Singaporeis willing to share experience with regional countries in effectively managingand using the water resources, contributing to protecting the environment andensuring sustainable growth, he said.
Singapore’swater management agencies will focus on three areas: developing globalsolutions, accelerating the commercialisation and export of technologies, and supportingthe shift of business models in smaller enterprises, he added.
He said, to accelerate commercialisation and the export of technologies, PUB’sSingapore Water Exchange, which is set to begin operations later this year, willbuild an ecosystem of companies along the water value chain, allowing them towork together and tap into their mutual strengths to push water innovation andbusiness growth.
Additionally,Enterprise Singapore is working with water technology small- and medium-sizedenterprises to transform their business models and improve their productivity,turning them into firms of higher value.
Withover 200 water companies and more than 25 research institutes, Singapore’s waterindustry continues to attract both domestic and foreign investment.
The sector is expected to generate 15,000 jobs and contribute 2.85 billion SGD (2.1billion USD) to Singapore’s economy annually by 2020.-VNA
VNA
