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SINGAPORE – The city’s skyline turned into a blue sea to mark World Water Day, as Singapore showed its commitment to water sustainability over the weekend.
From Saturday (March 20) through Monday, a record 44 monuments and buildings, including the Museum of Art and Science, Esplanade, Gardens by the Bay, Marina Bay Sands, and Singapore Flyer, are illuminated blue at night as part of the national event. PUB water agency’s City Turns Blue initiative, which started in 2014.
Among them are 10 places participating for the first time in the initiative. These include the Singapore Sports Center, Mount Faber, One Marina Boulevard, Wisma Atria, and the Keppel Marina East desalination plant.
Last year, 39 local landmarks bathed in blue as part of the lighting.
World Water Day is celebrated annually on March 22, a day designated by the United Nations as a reminder that water is a critical resource that must be cherished and protected.
Before the annual event, the UN called for urgent efforts to address the global water crisis.
Around 1.6 billion people, almost a quarter of the world’s population, have problems accessing a clean and safe water supply.
The president of the UN General Assembly, Volkan Bozkir, has called this a global “moral failure”.
For Singapore, the event is particularly significant this time, as the Republic launched its inter-ministerial Green Plan, observers said.
The plan, unveiled last month, cuts across all sectors of society and introduces several new sustainability initiatives that will change the way people here work, study and play by 2030.
Experts said the Green Plan emphasizes the importance of thinking ahead for future generations, which includes ensuring that the country’s water resources are safe for use and can be sustained in the long term.
Said Professor Rajasekhar Bala from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the National University of Singapore: “The global climate is changing and will continue to change, affecting the water cycle and related issues such as energy production, food security and health. human “.
“We must manage our valuable water resource systems to meet the changing demands placed on them,” said Professor Benjamin Horton, director of the Singapore Earth Observatory.
“Increasing demands are being placed on finite water resources to supply drinking water, water for other social needs, including energy, agriculture and industry, and the water needed to maintain healthy aquatic ecosystems,” he added. “Having adequate water of sufficient quality supports Singapore’s health, economy, safety and ecology.”
This year, the theme of PUB’s water campaign is on climate change. Its key areas of focus include improving flood resistance, safeguarding water sustainability, reducing the carbon footprint, and strengthening coastal defenses to protect homes.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, in a Facebook post on Sunday, urged residents to do their part to conserve water.
“We are doing our best to maximize every drop of water, but we all have to do our part to #MakeEveryDropCount,” he added.
In Singapore, World Water Day is celebrated throughout the month of March with initiatives that raise awareness about water conservation.
More than 400 members have joined this year. Some 50 retailers are offering blue-themed discounts and promotions, and more than 70 schools have joined a program of water-themed activities every Wednesday this month to instill good water-saving habits in students.
New participants
Landmarks participating in the City Turns Blue initiative in Singapore for the first time:
1. Keppel Marina East desalination plant
2. Mount Faber
3. One Marina Boulevard
4. Orchard Gateway
5. Read bridge
6. Sentosa Golf Club
7. Science Center Singapore
8. Shopee Building
9. Singapore Sports Center
10. Wisma Atria
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