Spotlight on innovation and collaboration to address water sustainability and climate uncertainties
The Singapore International Water Week (SIWW) 2021 has kicked-off as a virtual event starting today till 2 Jul 2021. The event was officially opened by Grace Fu, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment.
In her opening address, Fu highlighted that water stresses will continue to rise with population growth and climate change, hence the need to find new and innovative ways to increase the resilience of the world’s resources.
“Water security is a long-standing issue. More than ever, we need to take a global approach to develop new solutions to our water problems,” she said. “We must engage in the open exchange of knowledge and innovative solutions to manage global water resources in a sustainable manner. Only by working together we can ensure water security for all.”
Headlining the event is SIWW2021 Spotlight, a one-day summit that brings water professionals together to discuss and exchange ideas on innovating for a sustainable water future. Held over two plenary sessions, SIWW2021 Spotlight sees water professionals in governments, utilities, academia and industry-leading discussions on how stakeholder collaborations and innovation can be harnessed to overcome challenges for water sustainability and ensure security against climate uncertainties.
Among the speakers are Heng Swee Keat, Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore and Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies; Ahmed Aboutaleb, Mayor of Rotterdam; Chew Men Leong, president of the Singapore Water Association and president, urban solutions, ST Engineering; Steve Demetriou, chairman and CEO of Jacobs; Patrick Decker, president and CEO of Xylem; Ng Joo Heng, chief executive, PUB, Singapore’s national water agency; Dr Alan Ruder, founder and CEO of RSK Group; and HP Nanda, global vice-president and general manager of Dupont Water Solutions.
This will be followed by SIWW2021 Online, a two-week long virtual showcase with emphasis on innovation and solutions spanning the water cycle for industry stakeholders to connect and share.
The line-up of more than 120 thematic webinars, technical sessions, case studies and product showcases during SIWW2021 Online will discuss a wide range of utility and industry-focused content, covering end-to-end of the urban water cycle. This year’s SIWW received support from the international and local water community with more than 3,500 delegates and trade visitors, and the participation of over 50 utilities from around the world.
Ryan Yuen, managing director at SIWW, said: “Given the COVID-19 situation and international travel restrictions, we converted SIWW to a fully virtual format to enable international participants to meet, exchange knowledge and create new partnerships in a safe environment. On the back of the successful pilot SIWW virtual event last year, we continued to leverage on digital capabilities to bring the international water community together and affirmed our position as the global premier platform to share and co-create urban water solutions.
“The comprehensive session line-up presented at SIWW 2021 Online offers new insights on international best practices and innovative solutions that will help the industry navigate this new economic landscape.”
The next edition, SIWW 2022, will be held from 17-21 Apr 2022 at the Sands Expo & Convention Centre in Singapore.
