The story of Singapore’s genesis as a young nation is often
told from the political and economic perspectives. But there is another underlying
story that is equally critical to the Singapore story – Water.
In 1965, Singapore did not have any significant fresh water
sources nor did she have any natural aquifers and groundwater supplies. All
Singapore had were a few fresh water reservoirs that were built by the British.
Singapore relied heavily on water piped in from neighboring Johore, Malaysia.
Without this lifeline, Singapore would not have enough water for its people.
This sobering fact was clearly demonstrated during World War
2 when the retreating British soldiers blew up the causeway which connected
Singapore to Johore, along with critical water pipes, to delay the invading
Imperial Japanese Army.
With the water supply cut off, Singapore’s reservoirs then had
only enough supplies for about two weeks. The dwindling water supplies would
soon become one of the significant contributing factors towards the British
surrender to the Japanese.
Lee Kuan Yew recognized how critical water was to Singapore’s
survival. At Separation, Lee made sure that the existing water supply
agreements were guaranteed by both Governments in the 1965 Separation Agreement
and these agreements were also registered with the United Nations.
However, this did not prevent Malaysian politicians from
using the water supply as a means influencing and bending Singapore to suit
their interests. Lee had been told by the British just days before the
Separation that the then Malaysian premier Tunku Abdul Rahman, had remarked ‘if
Singapore doesn’t do what I want, I’ll switch off the water supply’. Even later
generations of Malaysian leaders would make similar public comments when it
suited their agenda.
And it is against this backdrop that Lee Kuan Yew pushed for
Singapore to be self-sufficient in its water supply.
Read more here:
Lee Kuan Yew: The
architect of Singapore's water story
Vulnerability to
Strength: the Singapore Water Story
Forging a greener
tomorrow
Lee Kuan Yew - On Sustainability
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