Speech delivered in Parliament on 6 March 2012 during Committee of Supply

A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE I thank members of the House for their questions and their suggestions.

2       There are three broad themes behind all of MEWR’s programmes. First, to ensure that we continue to have a very high quality of life in Singapore;  second, to do our part in an inclusive society, in particular, to always leave a low cost option on the table and also provide opportunities for fair wages and good jobs; and third, to make sure that we have a sustainable future.

Incredible turnout by residents of all ages as the Chingay procession came to Bukit Panjang for the first time. Great atmosphere as the crowd took in the sights and fireworks.

See the full gallery on Posterous

Peter Schwartz highly recommended this book when we met for dinner last week. It has been a mind blowing journey traversing ecology, urbanisation, climate change, transgenic crops, nuclear energy and geoengineering. We don’t have to agree on everything, but we must think carefully through these issues, and be prepared to change our minds as new information emerges.

I was asked several questions in Parliament on the 3 floods in Orchard Road over the past 18 months. 

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Topography of Orchard Road

1.            Stamford Canal drains a catchment area of 631 ha, which starts upstream at the Botanic Gardens and Dempsey Hill. It extends downstream to Bras Basah and City Hall areas and ultimately drains into Marina Reservoir. Orchard Road is a valley in the mid-section of this catchment area. It is bounded by higher ground, including Mount Elizabeth in the north and Leonie Hill to the south. The gradient slopes from Tanglin to the Bras Basah. However, if you examine the slide carefully, you will notice that the gradient is punctuated by two smaller hills – Cuscaden in the west and Cairnhill in the east. Consequently, there is actually a basin between Cuscaden and Cairnhill Roads. This explains why this stretch of Orchard Road is of special concern.

PUBLIC CONSULTATION ON THE DRAFT ENERGY CONSERVATION BILL

1          The Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) and the Ministry of Transport (MOT) are seeking feedback on the draft Energy Conservation Bill that will be introduced to Parliament in 2012.

BACKGROUND

2          The Energy Conservation Act (ECA) will mandate energy management practices for large energy users in the industry and transport sectors to promote energy conservation, improve energy efficiency and reduce environmental impacts.  The introduction of this Bill is in line with Singapore’s target to improve our energy intensity by 35% from 2005 levels by 2030, as stated in the 2009 Sustainable Singapore Blueprint.

It was a close shave. On several occasions over the past few days, and all night negotiations, failure seemed inevitable.

Fortunately, good sense and goodwill prevailed at the end.

There were 4 key components that were finely balanced.

First, the Kyoto Protocol will be extended through a second commitment period. The EU, Switzerland and Norway committed themselves to a legally binding ratifiable second commitment period. Unfortunately, Russia, Canada and Japan refused.

A cigarette is a drug delivery device to deliver nicotine and contaminants like tar into the human body. If nicotine had been a new drug, it would have been banned because of the addictive and deleterious effects on human health. It is a key risk factor for cancer, heart diseases, stroke and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD), the top causes of death among Singaporeans

However, it is not a new drug. In fact, it has been around for centuries, and hence we have a significant number of us who are addicted to nicotine. It is not practical to ban smoking entirely.

The Singapore Government has responded to a request from Thailand’s Metropolitan Water Authority (MWA) for assistance with ensuring the quality of their water supply in Bangkok and its vicinity, which had been affected by the recent floods in Thailand.

PUB has delivered 50 units of online pH- and turbidity-sensors to the MWA to enhance the monitoring of water quality in the treatment process in Bangkok. In addition, the MWA has accepted PUB’s offer to provide training, in partnership with industry partners, to MWA staff on risk assessment and water safety plan formulation; as well as to provide laboratory services for testing of water samples from MWA. A four-member team from PUB had visited Bangkok earlier, from 10 to 12 November, to carry out an assessment of the assistance needed. PUB’s Chief Executive, Chew Men Leong, was in Bangkok on 26 November to meet with the MWA Governor, Charoen Passara, and oversee the implementation of the assistance initiatives.

I hope more companies will be as enlightened in retaining experienced and loyal workers.