Water

Country Water Action: Singapore
Starting Young in Water Resources Conservation
October 2007

Singapore youth volunteers show their concern for the environment by taking part in a river clean-up program pioneered by the Waterways Watch Society, a special volunteer group. Can they influence their elders to do the same?

Contents Youngsters Fight the River Monster Water Developments in Singapore The Waterways Watch Society Hands-on Learning Experience

“It’s exciting and it makes Singapore clean,” primary school student S. Vishna said of his and his friends’ efforts in cleaning the Singapore River’s banks. Akilamani Saradha, S. Vishna’s classmate, chimed in, “We should keep our environment clean because if we don’t, we won’t get pure water.”

The two youngsters and their friends are part of the “River Monster Educational Program” in Singapore that aims to give primary school students valuable hands-on experience in cleaning the environment. Spearheaded by the Waterways Watch Society (WWS), the program creates awareness of the dangers of water pollution and the importance of river cleanliness. WSS is a nongovernment organization that aims to cultivate good practices among Singapore citizens by training and working with very young volunteers.

“It’s easier to create an impact on students rather than on adults,” Tan Phong, a regular member of the Saturday volunteer program at WWS, points out. Adults usually have set mindsets, so it is easier to change the behavior of younger people, he added. Lower primary school students are the WSS’ main target group because it is easier to involve them in actual coastal cleaning activities as a part of their schools’ extracurricular activities.

“Once we give them the message, they can go back home and tell their parents, grandparents, and other elders,” explains Annie Young Giri, WSS’ education coordinator. “Once they come down here, they realize that the pollution actually comes from their own homes.”

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Because water is a very precious resource in Singapore, the government has gone into great lengths to make the people aware of the need to conserve and use water wisely. Singapore has also invested heavily on developments in its water sector. Lacking land area for more reservoirs, it has separate drainage and sewerage systems that safely drain water into existing reservoirs in catchment areas. Desalination plants that convert sea water into potable drinking water were also constructed.

Singapore’s Public Utilities Board (PUB), the country’s national water agency, has become a model water utility in the developing world, along with Cambodia’s Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority and the Philippines’ Manila Water Company Inc. In 2003, PUB developed a breakthrough technology that collects all used-water in the country to produce NEWater, which is now a popular brand of bottled drinking water.

There are also many societies, government agencies, and private sector organizations that help prevent water contamination in various ways. The WWS is one of them.

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Established in 1998, the WWS holds its activities mostly on weekends and during school holidays. These activities include patrolling rivers and their catchments, and reporting to the relevant authorities any kind of pollution in those areas.

In addition to educating and raising awareness about wastewater management, the WWS also supports polytechnics and university student societies. It provides essential equipment such as boats, bikes, and kayaks to student groups that are involved in riverbanks cleaning and recreation activities. They also invite these groups to join its water cleaning programs.

In a typical weekend WWS activity, school volunteers meet at an agreed place around 8 in the morning and are provided with gloves, trash bags, and safety information prior to the start of the program. Then the river clean-up begins. They remove debris that contaminates the water, which often includes cigarette butts, food wrappers, containers, caps, lids, plastic bags, and plastic bottles. They also collect valuable information about the quantity and source of debris. Later, these data will be summarized and submitted to government and other relevant authorities in order to educate the public on waterways debris issues.

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But getting students to join in these activities is not always an easy task. “Cleaning is never interesting. And that is a challenge we face and something that we need to accept,” Phong said.

In an attempt to make water resources conservation more meaningful and interesting, the WWS organizes “eco camps” of three days and two nights near the riverside along the Kallang Basin. At these camps, youngsters play recreational games that help build team spirit and raise awareness about the importance of a clean environment.

“I think it’s very interesting that we can actually go down onto the riverbanks and clean the rivers. And this is our future drinking water, so it’s important that we clean it ourselves. I found it very meaningful that we’re actually helping out to get the stuff clean,” says Shiying Liu, a student of the National University of Singapore High School.

“After going through all the hard work to clean up the river banks, we would definitely pass the message to others,” Shiying explains. “Also, after experiencing the difficulty of cleaning it, we would think twice before littering hereafter,” she said. Her schoolmate Viona Lam adds, “It’s easier to take care of the environment without litter in it.”