Singapore, 1 October 2013 -- Winners of the Singapore-Netherlands Water Challenge 2013 were presented today with the prestigious Singapore-Netherlands Sustainability Award by His Excellency Jacques Werner, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Singapore and Professor Chan Eng Soon, Dean of the Facutly of Engineering of National University of Singapore. The event, which was held at the National University of Singapore’s University Town, was attended by some 80 representatives from industry, academia and government of both countries.
The winners, Yorick Broekema from the Netherlands and a team led by Leng Ling from Hong Kong, were recognised by Ambassador Werner for their original papers addressing this year’s theme on climate change adaptation: “Creativity and resourcefulness are keywords to deal successfully with climate change adaption. Singapore and the Netherlands are dependent on the innovative and creative input of young talent. The Embassy supports the Singapore-Netherlands Water Challenge as it encourages students from all over the world to find innovative solutions for current water problems.”
Themed Adaptive Solutions for Climate Change this year, the Challenge invited participants to focus on the impacts of climate change and propose original adaptive solutions that address issues like water, nature, mobility, agriculture, energy, health, housing and recreation, in a holistic fashion.
Both winners came out on top after a 6-month competition, from October 2012 to April 2013, involving 24 students (16 individual participants and 2 teams) from 7 different countries. Participants were required to submit essay proposals, with solid scientific basis, for an adaptive solution for their own town, coast, river or delta in which they live in, combining a number of disciplines such as climate modelling, spatial planning, infrastructure and buildings, coastal engineering, governance and economics.
[Photo: the event provided students a great opportunity for networking with the Dutch water sector community in Singapore]
Singapore-Netherlands Water Challenge
Building on their global leadership in delta and water management and recognising the importance of engaging young talent with global water problems, Singapore and the Netherlands initiated the Singapore-Netherlands Water Challenge, inviting students and young faculty to contribute their own original solutions. The first edition of the challenge was held in 2011/2012, presenting the first Singapore-Netherlands Sustainability Award to Anne Belski from Swinburne University and Victor Sim from Nanyang Technological University.
The Singapore-Netherlands Water Challenge is supported by a group of prominent water organisations including NUSDeltares, PUB and Sustainable Development & Water Alliance. Lead corporate partner in 2013 is Van Oord. In addition, sponsorships are provided by Fugro, Hydronav, YJP Surveyors, Surbana, Boskalis, Royal HaskoningDHV and DutchCham Singapore.