8 Takeaways from the Singapore International Water Festival 2014

I would like to thank SIWW and Nuffnang for the opportunity to be part of this Singapore International Water Week event. Bringing together more than 20,000 attendees and 850 participating companies, innovative solutions to the world’s water challenges were showcased. Although I was unable to attend the showcase of the innovative solutions, I was glad that I could still join in the public event (Singapore International Water Festival) jointly organized by PUB and Singapore Polytechnic. The event was flagged off by the guest of honour, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan.

Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan was there to kickstart the dragon boat race as well. 

According to the World Resources Institute Aqueduct project, Singapore faces a high overall water risk. Thanks to an efficient government, the regulatory and reputation risk is the lowest.

Here are the festival highlights:

1. Shared water and non-water activities for families.

Several carnival stores were in place under a white tent, thus there is no need to fear if it rains. The carnival games focus on traditional fun rather than educating the public about water risks and challenges faced by Singapore.

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2. Raft Racing to promote creativity, innovation and a spirit of adventure

One of the more interesting activity is the raft race. Most of the rafts were made from scrap materials, while I was more concerned about the adhesive tapes used and whether these materials were to be recycled after the event. The rafts were really innovative though! I didn’t get to see if they managed to float, but it was obvious that the students put in a lot of efforts. Here are some other noteworthy rafts:

Supermario in the raft race!

Jiajia and Kaikai with a really strong smell of acryllic paint

An actual-looking boat

My favourite raft: A menacing-looking mosquito that reminds us not to allow such pests breed on water

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3.  Kids will look forward to bouncer castles

Members of the public would have to purchase coupons to participate in the carnival game stalls and bouncer castles. There were also fingerfood that can be purchased from the bazaar stalls.

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4. Not easy to be Katniss from Hunger Games

You can also display your archery skills in the festival. Oh yes, if you are wondering why there were so many people with blue shirts around, they are actually students from Singapore Polytechnic. The lady whom I spoke to said that it was actually Singapore Polytechnic’s family day but members of the public were welcomed to join.

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5. Dragon Boat Race is opened to Secondary Schools, ITEs, Polytechnics and SP staff.

There were a lot of students cladded in singlet and shorts. All dragon boats, paddles, rudders, drums and life-vests used by competitors were provided. It was interesting to see the 20-crew or 10-crew dragon boat race against each other. The race was flagged off by Dr Vivian Balakrishnan. It was a great display that showed the relationship between man and water: the adrenaline and rush that the dragon-boaters had when riding on the waves and currents of the life-giving water.

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6. Visit the Sustainable Singapore gallery if you haven’t yet

The Sustainable Singapore gallery in Marina Barrage focuses on the water challenges all over the world and in Singapore. It also explains why the Marina Barrage was built. I am so glad that our visionary leader was able to think for the future generations. We should do our part too to conserve water by using less and reducing wastage.

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7. Snap a picture with Water Wally

Water Wally has been great with reminding the public in conserving water, so taking a picture with this mascot would remind you how each drop of water is precious. Do you know that around 1 BILLION people lack access to safe-drinking water? As many as 5 million people die each year from water-related disease.

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8. Make a pledge for a common water cause

I have also made a #SIWWPledge to increase global awareness of pressing water challenges. Here is my pledge:

“Not just water issues, I pledge to increase awareness on all environmental issues before the effects of climate change is irreversible.

For every pledge, S$1 will be donated to Water.org. Click here to pledge now!
For more related water posts, head over to http://waterchatter.wordpress.com/
Learn more about water solutions and technologies here: http://www.siww.com.sg