The seminar was held from 30th June to 2nd July at the Public Utilities Board (PUB) WaterHub in Singapore and coincided with Singapore’s International Water Week. Delegates from China, Indonesia, Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Mongolia participated. Speakers from Norway and Singapore were invited to speak on how to manage water resources in a sustainable and efficient way.
Norwegian Embassy's Deputy Head of Mission Larissa Falkenberg Kosanovic. Photo: Singapore MFA“It is an essential part of Norway’s environmental policy to protect the ocean and watercourse system” according to the Norwegian Ministry of the Environment. “All use of water resources should be sustainable –it is nature’s own tolerance levels which should set the boundaries for how water is used and how much is used.” Similarly, Singapore, which has overcome water shortages despite it’s lack of natural water resources, has now “built a robust, diversified and sustainable water supply” according to PUB.
The seminar started with two keynote speakers from Singapore and Norway. Dr Araral from the Institute of Water Policy of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy shared insights on ‘Global water importance and challenges’. Professor Harsha Ratnaweera from the Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA) which is Norway’s leading multidisciplinary research institute in the field of use and protection of water bodies and water quality, in fresh and marine waters focused on the theory of ‘Integrated Water Resources Management’ (IWRM).
Over the following days speakers both from research institutes and business contributed to the programme interspersed with visits to the International Water Week expo. Mr Ngaim Hai Guan shared Singapore's experience in IWRM. Dr Udaya Sekhar Nagothu of the Norwegian Institute for Agricultural and Environmental Research (Bioforsk) discussed IWRM in an Asian-European context and the effects of agricultural pollution. Ms Anne Margrethe M. Platou from SN Power shared examples of hydropower projects which is a key source of energy for Norway with over 99% of Norway's electricity supply derived from the country's abundant hydropower. The Director of the Nile Basin Research Programme, Dr Tore Sætersdal, described how the Nile Basin Research Programme Relevant to the South Asia Water Inititative while Hyflux and Sembcorp shared their business experiences.
The Norwegian Ambassador Janne Julsrud with speakers from the Third Country Seminar . Photo: Singapore MFAAs part of the International Water Week programme the participants were also able to join technical tours relevant to their individual areas of expertise. The delegates were able to see how Singapore manages its water resources from the Marina Barrage to the Deep Tunnel Sewerage system.
The Norway-Singapore Third Country Training Programme, established in 1996, enables government officials from developing countries in the region to attend tailored training programmes on subjects as diverse as climate change, renewable energy and carbon trading to anti-corruption/CSR issues. The programme is jointly organized by Norway and Singapore and is partly financed through the Norwegian development aid budget.