In this country with the second to last per capita water resources in the world, innovation is not a multiple-choice question, but a survival question. Singapore, with an area of only 728 square kilometers and extremely scarce natural resources, has long relied on freshwater imports and has an energy self-sufficiency rate of less than 5%. However, in just a few decades, it has risen to become the benchmark for resilient cities worldwide. The key to its success lies in transforming the pressure of survival into a driving force for systematic innovation.In the wave of global urban sustainable development, Singapore's transformation is particularly remarkable: through the "Four Great Water Pipes" strategy and energy space revolution, it has achieved a leap from dependence on imports to technology output. This case proves that the boundaries of a city are not defined by geography, but by innovative imagination.In the 1960s, 80% of Singapore's freshwater relied on imports from Malaysia. Lee Kuan Yew once asserted, "There is room for negotiation on all other issues, except for water." The recognition of water sovereignty as national security has forced Singapore to elevate its water supply autonomy to a strategic level. Through the "four major water pipes" strategy (fresh water, seawater desalination, rainwater collection, and inlet water), Singapore has built the world's most robust and diversified water supply network. According to data from the Public Utilities Board of Singapore (PUB), Singapore's water self-sufficiency rate has increased from less than 20% in 1965 to 65% in 2023 through these four major water supply systems.
Marina Bay Sands Sky Garden, Singapore
The Xinsheng Water Project can be regarded as a model of "turning pollution into gold". As the world's first country to promote large-scale use of fresh water, Singapore adopts a dual membrane process of ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis to purify wastewater into high-quality water sources that can be directly consumed. The technological breakthrough from toilets to water bottles has eliminated psychological barriers among the public, resulting in a new water acceptance rate of over 90%. As of 2023, 5 new water plants have met 40% of the country's water demand, and according to Singapore's PUB plan, this proportion will increase to 85% by 2060. Compared with Israel's water resource recycling methods, Singapore's innovative uniqueness lies in incorporating water energy synergy into system design, achieving benefits of 1+1>2.
The rainwater collection system also demonstrates extraordinary intelligence. 17 reservoirs cover two-thirds of the country's territory, with a rainwater recovery rate of 90%, forming an efficient rainwater storage system. This system enables Singapore to have an urban waterlogging incidence rate of less than 0.1% under the condition of an average annual rainfall of 2400 millimeters.In the field of seawater desalination, Singapore's innovation is also leading. The Dashi seawater desalination plant adopts independently developed variable flow high-efficiency reverse osmosis technology, reducing the energy consumption per cubic meter of fresh water to 3.5 kWh, which is 30% lower than traditional methods and has become a global energy-saving benchmark.The Sky Tree Landscape of Marina Bay Gardens in Singapore
On the basis of ensuring water resource security, Singapore applies the same innovative logic to the energy sector. Faced with a once high energy external dependence of 95%, the country has embarked on a path of transformation through technological innovation and system optimization.Singapore plans to transform 95% of HDB flats' roofs into solar power stations in the 'Green Development Blueprint 2030' through its' Space Utilization 'strategy. Through the SolarNova program, the government has reduced installation costs by 30% through centralized procurement, promoting a rapid increase in coverage. This coverage rate is in a leading position among high-density cities worldwide.The smart grid inherits the "circular utilization" gene of water resource management: through AI load prediction, its peak valley electricity price difference regulation accuracy reaches 0.01 SGD/kWh (global average is 0.05), and the user side response rate is increased to 22%. The refined philosophy of 'one drop of water is used twice' in smart grids, equipped with Internet of Things and big data technology, achieves real-time optimized distribution of electricity, and controls system losses within 5%.Former Prime Minister of Singapore (Founding Head) Lee Kuan Yew (1923-2015)In terms of building energy efficiency, Singapore requires 80% of new buildings to meet green certification standards and promotes passive energy-saving design. Data shows that adopting new standards for building energy consumption can reduce it by more than 30%, which is consistent with the concept of efficient utilization in water resource management.Singapore's success stems from the synergy of long-term strategic planning and citizen participation. The coherence of policies from the 1963 "Conceptual Plan" to the 2021 "Green Development Blueprint" provides a guarantee for innovation. The government promotes transformation through legislation and subsidies, while enterprises focus on technology research and commercial application.At the same time, measures such as the "Resident Emergency Preparedness Plan" and the "Community Water and Energy Conservation Action" have enabled citizens to become co builders of resilient cities. This model of universal participation allows the concept of water conservation and energy conservation to permeate all levels of society, forming a complete urban resilience construction system. Singapore's practice has overturned the traditional development logic: it transforms resource constraints into innovation constants and reconstructs the urban resilience equation using technological variables. In the era of climate crisis, the value of this case lies not only in the solution itself, but also in its underlying logic of "survival drives innovation" - when crisis awareness is integrated into urban genes, scarcity can also nurture infinite possibilities.
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