MINISTRY OF THE ENVIRONMENT

MR LIM SWEE SAY Minister for the Environment

Environmental Infrastructure and Services

1. Singapore has achieved economic and social growth despite our lack of natural resources, and without compromising the quality of our environment. Our challenge ahead is to build on this foundation and to strive for environmental sustainability in the long term.

Water Supply

2. A stable, secure and adequate supply of water is critical to our survival. We will tap all possible sources of water. We will supplement traditional sources of supply with non-conventional sources, such as desalination and NEWater.

Sustaining a Quality Living Environment

3. We will introduce new policies and measures to ensure that the clean environment which we enjoy now will continue to be there for future generations. We will encourage the use of cleaner energy and promote energy efficiency and conservation. We will strive to minimise the need for land-fill by promoting recycling and waste minimisation. We will explore restructuring and corporatising our waste incinerator operations, to subject them to market discipline and improve efficiency.

4. To maintain high public health standards, we will implement strategies to promote food hygiene and safety. We will also progressively upgrade our hawker centres. We will strengthen our research capability in the prevention and control of communicable diseases, in particular vector-borne diseases.

Involving Our Community

5. Singaporeans should take greater ownership of the environment. We will actively engage the People, Public and Private sectors to explore innovative ideas in addressing environmental issues. We will also implement programmes to enhance environmental awareness and encourage Singaporeans to participate in environmental initiatives such as the national recycling programme. We will involve our community on issues such as upgrading public toilets and improving their cleanliness, as well as stepping up our anti-littering efforts.

Doing our Part for the Global Environment

6. We will participate actively in international environmental co-operation and seek ways to contribute to global sustainable development, while at the same time, protecting our national interests. At the regional level, we will work closely with our ASEAN neighbours to tackle common environmental concerns such as the problem of trans-boundary pollution.