Singapore International Water Week

The Singapore International Water Week (SIWW) is a global platform for partners from the global water industry to share and co-create innovative water solutions. The event is attended by delegates from the government, international organisations, industry and academia sectors. SIWW serves as a platform for partners to network and forge partnerships. It also presents opportunities for them to connect with water industry leaders, discover cutting-edge technology and take part in intensive water dialogues.

SIWW’s flagship programmes include The Water Leaders Summit, Water Convention, Water Expo, Business Forums, Hydro-Gen and Industrial Water Solutions. It culminates with the prestigious Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize, a prestigious international water award to recognize outstanding contributions towards solving global water problems.

The inaugural SIWW was launched in 2008. Since 2012, SIWW has been held biennially in conjunction with the World Cities Summit and CleanEnviro Summit Singapore. In 2013, the attention was focused on the water utility sector with the SIWW Water Utilities Leaders Forum (SWULF). The event saw over 180 water utility leaders from 46 countries in attendance. In 2014, the theme is on technology and innovation to solutions for our water challenges. The inaugural SIWW Technology and Innovation Summit (STIS) will explore these issues to generate discussions and develop consensus among global water experts.

Singapore International Water Week 2008

The inaugural Singapore International Water Week took place in Singapore from 23 to 27 June 2008. It focused on sustainable water solutions for cities and was held in conjunction with the World Cities Summit, a conference on the sustainable development of cities, as well as the East Asia Summit Conference on Liveable Cities. Other global water conferences include World Water Week in Stockholm.

During the event, Canadian researcher Andrew Benedek received the inaugural Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize, a recognition given to outstanding contributions towards solving global water crisis.^[1] The five-day event at the Suntec convention centre has attracted over 8,500 delegates and trade visitors from 79 countries.

The inaugural event also saw deals that are worth over US$270 million and international initiatives to boost water research and investment

Following the success of the Singapore International Water Week 2008, Singapore’s national water agency, PUB, has produced the "Blue Paper", which underscores the importance of finding sustainable solutions to the world's water and used water problems .

Singapore International Water Week 2009

Singapore International Water Week 2009 will take place from 22 to 26 June 2009 at Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

2009’s theme is Sustainable Cities - Infrastructure and Technologies for Water and the event will feature mega projects such as the Marina Barrage, Deep Tunnel Sewerage System (DTSS) and NEWater. The event will also coincide with the 7th Ministers’ Forum on Infrastructure Development in the Asia-Pacific Region and International Water Association’s Leading Edge Technologies Conference (LET).

The annual event features the Water Leaders Summit^[2]^[3] Water Convention, Water Expo and Business Forums as well as the presentation of the Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize for innovative contributions in solving the world’s water problems.

The Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize 2009 has attracted 39 nominations from 19 countries, including the United States, China, Australia, Sri Lanka and Cambodia. The winner of the 2009 prize is Professor Gatze Lettinga for his environmentally sustainable solution for the treatment of used water using anaerobic technology (Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) reactor ^[4]). His revolutionary treatment concept enables waste water to be purified cost-effectively, on the scale of local neighborhoods and produces renewable energy, fertilizers and soil conditioners.

Exhibition space has been increased and a greater number of delegates worldwide participating in the various key events of Water Week 2009 is expected .

Singapore International Water Week 2010

The third edition of Singapore International Water Week, themed "Sustainable Water Solutions for a Changing Urban Environment" was held from 28 June to 2 July in conjunction with the 2nd World Cities Summit. The Singapore International Water Week 2010 aimed to address the needs of cost-effective and efficient solutions to resolve the water issues amidst the constantly changing environment.

Demonstrating the growing appeal and significance of the Singapore International Water Week, the event received strong support from the global community, including key international organizations as well as government, industry, research and consulting sectors from 85 countries and regions.

The event has ended on a high note for many local and international companies where the total value of announcements for projects awarded, tenders investments into Singapore and R&D MOUs exceeded S$2.8 billion, registering an increased of 57 per cent from the year before. There were more than 510 participating exhibitors over 39 countries and regions convened at the Water Expo 2010. The Singapore International Water Week also saw a record increase in the attendance figures to over 14,000 participants from 85 countries and regions.

The prestigious Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize was awarded to Yellow River Conservancy Commission (YRCC) for their outstanding accomplishments in integrating river basin management, the Yellow River Conservancy Commission successfully transformed China's record-longest river and brought about widespread and sustainable social economic and environment benefits.

Singapore International Water Week 2011

The fourth Singapore International Water Week, themed "Sustainable Water Solutions for a Changing Urban Environment" was held from 4 to 8 July 2011.

Singapore International Water Week has been a pinnacle event that provides a global platform for the policy makers, industry leaders, experts and practitioners to discover opportunities, address changes, showcase new technologies and also celebrate the achievements in the water world.

This event has attracted a record of some 13,500 participants from 99 countries and regions. The attendance figure marks a growth of almost 60 per cent since its inaugural event in 2008. There was also a growth of close to 70 per cent increase in the number of exhibiting companies at the Water Expo.

The Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize, a highlight of the event, received a record high of 72 nominations from 29 countries and regions, registering a 44 per cent increase from the year before. Together with nominations coming from Tunisia, Egypt and Austria for the first time, the leap in number is a testament of the growth stature of the award. The winner of 2011 prize is Dr James L. Barnard for his ground breaking invention of the Biological Nutrient Removal (BNR) technology, an environmentally sustainable, biological method to treat used water.

The Singapore International Water Week features five flagship programmes which include the Water Leader Summit, Water Convention, Water Exhibition, Business Forum and the Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize.

Singapore International Water Week 2012

The fifth Singapore International Water Week was held from 1–5 July 2012 at Marina Bay Sands.

Themed "Water Solutions for Liveable and Sustainable Cities", the event achieved a new record of S$13.6 billion in total value for the announcements on projects awarded, tenders, investments and R&D MOUs made.

Co-located with the 3rd World Cities Summit and the inaugural CleanEnviro Summit Singapore, the event attracted more than 18,000 participants from 104 countries/regions, and welcomed a record of 750 participating companies at the Water Expo.

The aim of sharing and co-creation of water solutions was brought into sharp focus with a host of announcements on joint collaborations in R&D. The announcement of new projects and investments reinforced Singapore International Water Week's position as a key platform for water companies to share market trends, opportunities and explore collaborations.

The next Singapore International Water Week will take place in 2014 and will continue to be co-located with the World Cities Summit and CleanEnviro Summit Singapore to provide a more holistic approaches for sharing and co-creating innovative water solutions in the broader context of urban sustainability.

Singapore International Water Week's Water Utilities Leaders Forum 2013

The Singapore International Water Week’s Water Utilities Leaders Forum 2013 was held on 18–19 September 2013 in Singapore at PARKROYAL on Pickering.

This by-invitation only event focused on challenges faced by water utilities and the possible solutions, promoted the sharing on pertinent water issues worldwide, and discussed the future challenges water utilities would face.^[5]

The two-day programme was conducted over seven sessions. It covered Planning for Adequacy, Financing Water Infrastructure, Technological Innovations; Customer Service and Community Engagement; Operational Optimisation, Asset Management and the evolving role of utilities in cities.

It was attended by more than 180 water leaders from 46 countries.

The four outcomes from SIWW Water Utilities Leaders Forum 2013 were:

1. Taking the Lead in Water Policies

2. Financial Sustainability

3. Stakeholder Engagement

4. Driving Innovation

The outcomes of the Forum were showcased at Singapore International Water Week 2014.

Singapore International Water Week 2014

In 2014, the sixth edition of Singapore International Water Week (SIWW) was held from 10 to 14 July 2014 at Marina Bay Sands. Participants were given the opportunities to network, exchanged ideas and discussed innovative water solution. The event drew the largest gathering of more than 20,000 participants from 133 countries/regions spanning the government, international organisations, industry and academia sectors and has achieved a record high of $14.5 billion worth of announcements.^[6]

Some of the highlights of the SIWW 2014 include the Water Leaders Summit, Water Convention, Water Expo, Business Forums, TechXchange, Industrial Water Forum (IWSF), Young Water Leaders Summit (YWLS) and the Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize.

Orange County Water District (OCWD) was awarded the prestigious Lee Kuan Yew Prize 2014 for its exemplary work in groundwater management, water reclamation, and advanced water reuse technologies. OCWD was also commended for its achievements in public policy and community outreach.

Singapore International Water Week's Technology and Innovation Summit 2015

Singapore International Water Week’s Technology and Innovation Summit 2015^[7] will be held on 16–17 June 2015 at One Farrer Hottel in Singapore. The two-day by-invite only programme aims to identify key technology focus areas for municipal and industrial water.

The high-level summit will bring together an international audience of senior delegates from water utilities, wastewater utilities, companies, international organisations and technology multipliers.

The event will comprise five sessions that will discuss various issues and challenges faced by the water industry. The sessions will be chaired by leading industry experts like Ian Law,^[8] Piers Clark,^[9] Jonathan Clement,^[10] Cindy Wallis-Lage ^[11] and Christopher Gasson.^[12] The session topics will cover key global water trends, factors driving innovation, innovation management frameworks, validation and assessment of new technologies, challenges in improving water treatment and wastewater treatment, and financing models for industrial and municipal players.