Table of Contents Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR)
MEWR’s mission is to deliver and sustain a clean and healthy environment and water resources for all in Singapore. We also aim to grow and nurture a vibrant environment and water industry that contributes to sustainable economic growth in Singapore. A total budget of $1090.87 million has been allocated to MEWR in FY2010 to achieve this mission.
The outcomes that MEWR is seeking to achieve are:
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High Standards of Environmental Health
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Good Ambient Air Quality
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Sustainable Solid Waste Management
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Energy-Efficient Singapore
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Good water infrastructure & services
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A Vibrant Environment and Water Industry
High Standards of Environmental Health
MEWR will seek to maintain high standards of environmental health through effective surveillance and control of vectors, improving public cleanliness, establishing a high standard of hygiene in food establishments, upgrading of hawker centres and markets, investment in R&D and increasing community participation among stakeholders.
$259.3 million will be set aside to fund programmes such as:
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Dengue prevention and control;
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Research, Surveillance and Risk Assessment of vector-borne diseases;
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Provision of Public Street Cleansing services;
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Singapore-Litter-Free Campaign;
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The Singapore’s OK Campaign;
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Licensing and grading of food stalls/food establishments;
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Enforcement of the smoking prohibition;
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Management of 109 hawker centres;
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Hawker Centres Upgrading Programme; and
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Management of government cemeteries, crematoria and columbaria.
Good Ambient Air Quality
Ensuring good air quality and providing timely and reliable meteorological services will continue to be an important outcome for MEWR.
$50.9 million will be set aside to fund programmes such as:
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Emission control at source (e.g. from factories and vehicles);
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Weather forecasting and early warnings of natural events; and
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Regional collaboration on the prevention of transboundary smoke haze pollution.
Sustainable Solid Waste Management
Singapore generates 2.6 million tons of waste a year. $258.4 million will be set aside to fund the operations of our incineration plants and landfills, as well as programmes that encourage waste minimisation and recycling:
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National Recycling Programme;
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Recycling Programme for Condominiums;
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School Recycling Programme;
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Voluntary Packaging Agreement to reduce packaging waste;
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Promotion of the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle) approach to minimize waste; and
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Operation of waste-to-energy plants and the Semakau Landfill.
First PPP incineration plant - Keppel Seghers Tuas Waste-to-Energy Plant
Energy-Efficient Singapore
Energy efficiency is Singapore’s key strategy to mitigate the impact of climate change.
To encourage energy efficiency in the five key sectors of power generation, industry, transport, buildings and household, some $22.5 million will be set aside to fund programmes under the E2 Singapore plan:
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Energy Efficiency National Partnership;
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Incentives to help companies achieve greater energy efficiency;
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The Singapore Certified Energy Manager (SCEM) Training Grant;
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Mandatory Fuel Economy Labelling for passenger cars;
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Mandatory Energy Labelling for household appliances;
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Education and outreach programmes under the 10% Energy Challenge; and
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Public Sector taking the Lead on Environmental Sustainability.
Good Water Infrastructure & Services
Flood Alleviation
PUB’s continual drainage improvement efforts have reduced the flood-prone areas in Singapore from 3,200 hectares in the 1970s to about 66 hectares by the end of FY2009.
In FY2010, PUB will continue to work on drainage projects such as improvements to Geylang River, Sungei Kallang, Bukit Timah Phase 1 Diversion Canal and Rochor Canal, as well as the improvement of old roadside drains to maintain their structural and conveyance capabilities.
Some $177 million will be set aside in FY2010 on the drainage programme, so that PUB could further reduce the total flood prone areas to 56 hectares by the end of FY2010.
Improvement to Joan Road Outlet Drain
Improved Used Water Management
Since 2009, works have commenced to extend Singapore’s used water network to serve new developments in the Jurong Eastern Catchment, Punggol Town, Marina South and Pasir Ris.
Some $155 million will be spent in FY2010 for our used water management programme, which will include the rehabilitation of the existing used water network in the Marina, Punggol-Serangoon and other catchment areas to reduce leakages and keep water in the Marina Reservoir and other catchments clean.
Building a City of Gardens and Water
The Active, Beautiful and Clean (ABC) Waters Programme will help transform Singapore into a City of Gardens and Water. The Master plan for the ABC Waters Programme, unveiled in April 2008, shows the possibilities and opportunities for the transformation of Singapore’s waterways and reservoirs. The first three ABC Waters demonstration pilot projects at Kolam Ayer, Bedok Reservoir and MacRitchie Reservoir have been completed.
MacRitchie Reservoir (First phase of the makeover includes a new multi-storey green carpark, an amenities centre, a warm-up deck and improved floating pontoon for kayakers to launch their kayaks. Improvement works for the second phase are in progress and we can expect a hilltop food and beverage outlet, upgraded paddle lodge etc)
Currently, there are 8 further ABC Waters Projects funded by the government under construction, of which 7 are scheduled for completion by FY2010, namely Lower Seletar Reservoir (Rowers’ Bay and Family Bay), Sungei Punggol (Sengkang Floating Island), Pandan Reservoir, Jurong Lake, Alexandra Canal, Sungei Kallang/Whampoa RC31. Some $26 million will be set aside in FY2010 for such projects.
Lower Seletar Reservoir (An artist’s impression of the “Family Bay”, a focal point for recreational activities and performances)
Jurong Lake (An artist’s impression of Jurong Lake, where residents can look forward to boardwalks, viewing plaza, geyser, rest shelters and wetland planting)
A Vibrant Environment and Water Industry
The Environment and Water Industry (EWI) Development Council established in 2006, spearheads efforts to grow the environment and water industry in Singapore and supports the National Research Foundation’s (NRF) efforts to build up our R&D capabilities in water as driver for economic growth. Its vision is to grow Singapore into a global environment & water hub for business, investment, research and technology.
For the $330 million Clean Water Programme funded by the National Research Foundation, we target to grow the value-added (VA) contribution from the water industry from $0.5 billion in 2003 to $1.7 billion by 2015, and double the number of jobs in this sector to 11,000 over the same period.
To this end, we have adopted a Whole-Of-Government approach along three strategic thrusts:
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Capability Development: Build up the technology base of the industries, and develop the necessary talent and manpower to meet the needs of this growing sector.
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Cluster Development: Anchoring major foreign players and grow local companies, including start-up companies to develop a vibrant eco-system spanning the entire value chain of activities in the sector
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Internationalisation: Profile Singapore as the platform for water solutions and facilitate efforts by Singapore-based companies to expand their businesses and operations overseas so as to capture a share of the global market.
The Clean Environment sector is envisaged to be another strategic growth area for Singapore. The Environment Technology Research Programme (ETRP) has been launched to kickstart research efforts to develop cost effective and sustainable waste management solutions that are applicable in Singapore as well as other cities.
To find out more about the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources and our initiatives, please feel free to visit our website.
