To champion water conservation, PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency has announced that nominations are now open for Singapore Watermark Awards (SWMA) to honour organisations for leadership and achievements in advancing the water sustainability agenda. A new ‘Projects’ category has been introduced under the Water Efficiency Awards (WEA), to recognise projects that improve water efficiency and raise the industry benchmark.
With Singapore’s water demand expected to double by 2065, the non-domestic sector is expected to account for two-thirds of the water demand. Managing non-domestic water consumption is thus crucial for businesses and industries as responsible water stewards.
PUB has rolled out initiatives to boost water efficiency. Earlier this year, PUB introduced mandatory recycling requirements on new and expansion projects in water-intensive industries with high potential for recycling. Water Efficiency Fund (WEF) was also enhanced to provide higher co-funding for water conservation or water recycling projects by businesses and incentivise more companies to adopt efficient ways of managing water demand. To date, 375 successful applications have received grants from PUB, which would result in water savings of around 70 million litres a day when implemented.
Recognising water champions
Both SWMA and WEA is thus seeking to honour role models and profiling industry best practices to encourage businesses and organisations to advance their own water sustainability agenda.
The WEA is said to recognise the top 10 percentile of water efficient companies within their respective sectors. With data collected from the water efficient management plan submitted to PUB, winners will be identified based on the lowest water efficiency, or highest water recycling rate.
Since the inception in 2007, 65 recipients from different sectors and the community have been recognised. Past winners include United Microelectronics Corporation, Carlton City Hotel and Qifa Primary School.
“Promoting water conservation is integral to ensuring Singapore’s long-term water security,” PUB CEO Goh Si Hou said, “The revamped SWMA and WEA are timely as more organisations are pursuing responsible water management and water efficiency projects as a pillar of their ESG goals.”
Call for nominations
Nominations are open from 15 Aug-30 Sep 2023 and the SWMA and WEA winners will be announced at the annual Singapore World Water Day celebrations in 2024, a platform to encourage community initiatives to celebrate water and raise awareness on water conservation.
