Urban Water Rebels
The 3rd edition of the Singapore Water Challenge was launched on 3 June 2014 during the Singapore International Water Week. Mr. Khoo Teng Chey, Executive Director of the Singapore Centre for Liveable Cities and Mr. Ahmed Aboutaleb, Mayor of the the city of Rotterdam, jointly released two giant floating fish, marking the official start of the program.
To the excitement of the more than one hundred guests, the fish appeared to be represent exactly the spirit that this year’s challenge – which the theme Urban Water Rebels is looking to promote – as they flew uncontrollably across the exhibition hall!
Under the theme Urban Water Rebels, this third edition of the competition is challenging students and young professionals to express their personal, independent vision on urban water management in the 21st century. In doing so, they are free to choose what particular dimensions of urban water management they wish to focus on and how they want to express this, for example through a paper, a design drawing, an infographic, an app, etc.
More than 50 participants from 12 countries already registered to join the program. In November 2014, the top contenders will be invited to present their vision during the Grand Final in Singapore.
Grand Final
The first Business Award Gala Dinner on Tuesday 31 March 2015 at the Hyatt in Singapore featured the award presentation of the Singapore Water Challenge 2014-2015.
Announced as the proud winners of the Urban Water Rebels program were Ms. Nishtha Manocha from Singapore and a team from Indonesia consisting of Ms. Ravina Binol, Mr. David Ginting and Ms. Tri Handayani.
Ms. Nishtha Manocha is a PhD student at the National University of Singapore. Her proposals describes a smart mobile application that leverages mobile technology and social media to collect water consumer data, such as data about water consumption and water quality, that water utilities can employ to improve their current services and plan better for future services.
The team from Indonesia created an educative and interactive social media campaign, called Think Forgotten Water – that challenges people to become more conscious about their use of “virtual water” – which is the water you use every day but can’t see, such as the water used in the production of food and clothes.
The winners received their awards from the hands of HE Mr. Vivian Balakrishnan, Singapore Minister for Environment and Water Resources, and HE Mr. Jacques Werner, Ambassador of the Netherlands to Singapore.
