SIWW2021: Virtual expo starts ahead of Singapore water event
Participants of the Singapore International Water Week can already stroll around the virtual expo floor and take a look at the products and services offered by companies. The floor includes the Netherlands pavilion with six Dutch exhibitors.
The official two-week online programme kicks off on Monday 21 June with two plenary sessions. Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb of Rotterdam will contribute with solutions his city is implementing to become climate proof by 2025.
All virtual
This year’s edition of the Singapore International Water Week (SIWW) will be fully virtual. Spread over two weeks a great number of sessions will take place that can be followed by registered delegates from all over the world.
In several sessions Dutch water professionals will share their involvement in new developments and solutions that have already been tested, or that are still under development.
Managing Director Bianca Nijhof of the Netherlands Water Partnership that organises the Dutch participation in cooperation with Water Alliance and the Dutch Embassy in Singapore, underlines the importance of being present at the Singapore event. NWP's activities are supported by the Partners for Water Programme.
‘As Dutch water sector we consider the SIWW as an icon event on the international water calendar. Having missed out last year due to the corona pandemic, it is great to see the efforts that have been put in by the SIWW organisers to create an all virtual event allowing for organisations to be put in the spotlights', she says.
Post-pandemic era
'The pandemic has made me even more aware of the challenges we face in creating a more liveable and sustainable world’, she adds. ‘The Dutch water sector has great ways to contribute and as director of the Netherlands Water Partnership, I know how much state of the art expertise our sector holds. Not only on flood management and governance, what the Dutch well-known for. But also on climate resilience, water technology, circular economy and more.
'These subjects are high on the agenda in the Netherlands, and through events like SIWW we want to get involved with others facing similar challenges to share our insights and innovations.'
Local solutions for global issues
Nijhof is very much aware of the fact that off-the-shelf Dutch solutions may not work elsewhere and need to be tailored first. Therefore, she invites all SIWW delegates to forge new partnerships. ‘Let’s get involved to build on innovation and combine our Dutch expertise with local knowledge’, she remarks.
‘Throughout my career I have been a big advocate for social inclusion and sharing knowledge. We are all in this together, and the only way forward it to find solutions together. That is why I want to invite everyone at the Singapore International Water Week to visit the Netherlands Pavilion and other Dutch organisations on the virtual expo floor to share your challenges, ideas and solutions.
Dutch exhibitors
Gathered in the Netherlands pavilion are the City of Rotterdam, Dutch Marine Consultants (DMC), Deltares, Paques, Eijkelkamp and Royal HaskoningDHV. New at the virtual booth of DMC is the presentation of the XBloc-plus, an armour unit to strengthen breakwaters at harbours or shore lines in general. The unit is specially designed to absorb a maximum of wave energy with less volume of concrete.
Research institute Deltares is present with its latest hydrological software and models that can now for the first time quantify the flood protection provided by mangroves and salt marches. Consultancy Royal HaskoningDHV presents the latest applications of its AquaSuite platform for automated AI-driven control and design of water treatment operations.
Two participating Dutch exhibitors outside the pavilion are PWNT and Nijhuis/Saur Industries.
Two weeks online programme
Following the opening sessions on 21 June, the organisers have been able to line up 120 sessions that will be live streamed over the next two weeks. The sessions address the latest research, new insights and innovative cases. Three sessions worth mentioning that have been organised by Dutch organisations include the use of Digital Water Solutions for Water Utilities (on 25 June), Adaptation in South East Asian Cities (on 30 June) and Integrated Zero Waste Solutions for a Circular Economy (on 1 July 2021).
The sessions will start late afternoon Singapore time. Stay tuned as more news items on this website will keep you posted during the next two weeks. See the full SIWW-programme and the registration options on www.siww.com.sg.
