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SINGAPORE, June 16, 2009 - (ACN Newswire) - While the economic downturn and heat wave might be casting shadows on the June school holidays, an upcoming action-pack event at the Marina Barrage this weekend on 20 and 21 June the inaugural Singapore International Water Festival (SIWF) should provide some welcome relief.
This is also the first time the SIWF 2009 will be held in conjunction with the Singapore International Water Week, in celebration of water. The Water Week is a global platform for water solutions that addresses challenges, showcase technologies, discover opportunities and celebrate achievements in the water world.
A total of 13 fun-filled, enriching activities will take place during SIWF 2009, which is jointly organised by Singapore Polytechnic (SP) and PUB, Singapores national water agency. Students and members of the expatriate community in Singapore will come together for two days of competitions on both water and land, while activities are also lined up for members of the public.
Among the competitions that will be staged are:
- Water-walking, which will see competitors walking on water using their own "buoyancy shoes";
- Solar boat race, during which participants will race their home-made, solar-powered model boats;
- Raft race, with participants building and racing their rafts; and
- Amazing Green Race, during which teams will compete to solve puzzles along a designated route around the marina area.
Other exciting competitions that will take place during the festival include dragon-boating, canoeing, netball, rock-climbing, an environmental quiz and an art contest.
"This event (SIWF 2009) is staged with the objective to educate the public and especially our younger generation on the importance of environmental sustainability. In particular, we hope to heighten the awareness that water is a scare and precious resource. Through the activities such as the dragon boat and raft races, canoeing, environmental quiz, amazing green race and the sustainability education tour, the message to value, conserve and to enjoy water can be reinforced," says Mr Lim Cher Yam, chairman of the SIWF 2009 Committee.
"We are happy to have Singapore Polytechnic as an active partner in spreading the water messages. The Singapore International Water Week is not only an important platform for industry professionals; it is also an opportunity to engage the larger community about the importance of water. Events like the Singapore International Water Festival celebrate water, and we hope that Singaporeans will foster a closer relationship with water through these activities and be motivated to value and keep our waters clean. It is indeed heartening to see more than 2,500 students coming forward to do their part for water through the Festival," said Mr Yap Kheng Guan, Director of 3P Network, PUB.
Members of the public can feast their eyes and ears on a cultural extravaganza put up by 14 secondary schools, many of which have won awards for their performances. There will be hip-hop and contemporary modern dance acts as well as Chinese and Malay cultural performances. Bag pipes will also be featured in the line-up, while SP will lend the extravaganza a Japanese flavour in the form of Daiko drums.
The public can also join walk-in tours of the Sustainable Singapore Gallery, which showcases Singapore's efforts and achievements towards environmental sustainability, and learn how they too have a part to play in the movement. The tours will be led by student guides who underwent two-day training on Singapore's water story.
In addition, there will be awesome aerobatic performances by professional kite-flyers, while families can try their hands at kite-flying on the Green Roof of the barrage as well.
"We see Marina Barrage as the ideal platform to stage the festival as it is a prime example of Singapore's holistic approach to water management. It not only creates an additional source of water supply, acts as a tidal barrier to alleviate flooding in the low-lying city areas and also serves as a lifestyle attraction right in the heart of the city," Mr Lim adds.
Amid all the action at the festival, there will be a cheque presentation of $90,000 to three charitable causes: the ST School Pocket Money Fund, the SP Needy Fund and the Clementi Student Service Centre. The sum is the result of a donation drive spearheaded by 16,500 SP students and staff, all in the hope of improving the lives of the less-privileged.
Admission to SIWF 2009 is free, with free-of-charge shuttle bus services running to and from Marina Bay MRT Station. Please log on www.sp.edu.sg/siwf for more info.
About Singapore Polytechnic
Established in 1954 to meet the manpower needs identified by the government, Singapore Polytechnic (SP) is Singapores first educational institution of its kind. Its nine academic schools offer 46 full-time diploma courses for its 15,000 students and courses are kept relevant through close links with industry and government bodies, as well as with various overseas institutions.
SP offers broad-based, multi-disciplinary and flexible curriculum dedicated to hands-on experience and is committed to the development of its applied research and development capability to enhance the quality of teaching and commercialisation efforts. Beyond the classroom, close to 90 student clubs covering areas like arts, culture, sports and community service make student life vibrant and fulfilling. The presence of foreign students from countries such as China, India and Indonesia also provides a variety of cultures and perspectives, nurturing a global mindset in Singapore Polytechnic students.
Among SP's 150,000 graduates are successful entrepreneurs, top executives in multinational and public-listed corporations, and well-known professionals, many of whom are captains of industries, university professors and researchers, and leaders in government. Visit www.sp.edu.sg.
About PUB
PUB is a statutory board under the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources. It is the water agency that manages Singapore's water supply, water catchment and sewerage in an integrated way. PUB won the 2007 Stockholm Industry Water Award and was named Water Agency of the Year at the Global Water Awards 2006.
About PUB's tagline: Water for All: Conserve, Value, Enjoy
PUB has ensured a diversified and sustainable supply of water for Singapore with the Four National Taps (local catchment water, imported water, NEWater, desalinated water).
To provide water for all, PUB calls on all Singaporeans to play our part to conserve water, keep our water catchments and waterways clean and build a relationship with water so we can enjoy our water resources. We can then have enough water for all uses for industry, for living, for life.
Contact:
Ms Jaime Goh
Singapore Polytechnic
Corporate Communications Officer
T: 6870 6122/ M: 9106 1969
E: jaime@sp.edu.sg
Ms Teo Yin Yin
PUB
Manager (Communications)
T: 6731 3158
E: teo_yin_yin@pub.gov.sg
Topic: Corporate Announcement
Source: Singapore International Water Week (SIWW)
Sectors: Water, Environment, ESG
https://www.acnnewswire.com
From the Asia Corporate News Network
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