There are two news items today (21 March), one from The Straits Times and the other from Today, that I would like to highlight on this blog today.
The first is existentially vital to Singapore -- water. I had, some years ago, gone to schools to talk about the water issue. I am glad Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong reiterated the fundamentals of this issue and gave readers an update, in the ST artcicle "Clean water a result of a wave of effort" (page B2).
Here are the key points of the story:
"The clean and readily available water Singaporeans have today is a result of political will, sheer determination, and creativity... At an event... to mark World Water Day [Tuesday, 22 March], [SM Goh] recalled how Singapore, at the time of independence in 1965, was almost totally dependent on imported water from Malaysia.
"That is no longer the situation following investments in technology and water infrastructure... [A strategy known as the "four national taps" was] realised around 2000 when Mr Goh was prime minister. [It] refers to the current four sources of water supply: imported water, water from local catchments, Newater and desalinated water.
"Mr Goh said that come 2061, when the second of Singapore's two water agreements with Malaysia expires, the country will have enough water for itself even if new agreements are not signed. The first water agreement will expire in August this year."
Yes, I think we have come a long way in moving towards water sufficiency since 1965. We should drink to that, without being wasteful of this precious resource, of course.
On a lighter note, some years ago, government ministers were actively promoting the safety of Newater for drinking purposes (for the uninitiated, Newater is ultra-processed and super-filtered effluent water that includes our pee). The ministers were seen -- and photographed by the press -- at official functions and community events downing this bottled liquid without hesitation.
One minister even jokingly referred to himself as "Lim Si Si". And one wag suggested that there is a special blend of Newater -- known as Cabinet Sauvignon!
And here's one water trivia tidbit: Did you know that the water we drink was also drunk by dinosaurs? Yes, all the water on this earth has been there since Day One, because Earth is an enclosed eco-system. So no water gets lost. It does get "unfairly" distributed though; some countries have plenty of it while some do not. A lot of water too has become polluted. And I guess a bit might have been lost if the moon-walking astronauts had left any of Earth's water behind on the moon.
The other story, in Today, is a commentary by a former British army general on the allied military strikes on Libya. It is a refreshing contrast to the stuff that armchair pundits have been spewing out in print. Titled "The real, if unspoken, task: Unseat Gaddafi" (page 18), it is expertly written and gives the low down on the allied aims. Here is the link:
http://www.todayonline.com/Commentary/EDC110321-0000211/The-real,-if-unspoken,-task--Unseat-Gaddafi
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