S'pore to share urban planning skills with Asia

DEVELOPING countries like China want to tap Singapore's expertise in urban planning - and an agreement has been signed to get this rolling.

Spin-offs worth hundreds of millions - if not billions - of dollars, could also come about in the form of overseas projects in areas like water supply, sanitation, solid waste management, slum upgrading, urban roads and mass transit systems.

A memorandum of understanding (MOU) to share urban planning know-how with developing countries in Asia was signed yesterday between government agency International Enterprise Singapore and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

IE Singapore will work with the bank to create study programmes focusing on masterplanning and the management of transport networks, water resources and the environment.

Officials from the bank's member countries - which include China, Azerbaijan and Vietnam - will attend workshops and make study visits to Singapore, one of the most densely populated areas in the world.

Singapore consultants will also help participating countries explore potential projects.

Singapore will contribute up to US$1 million (S$1.53 million) over the next three years to support joint cooperation programmes while the ADB expects to make available up to US$2 million in grant contributions.

Mr Shyam Bajpai, deputy director-general of the ADB's regional and sustainable development department, said: 'Singapore is a success story in many ways, especially demonstrating the fact that cities and dynamic urban areas are central to the economies of nation states and to future economic growth.'

The opportunities are huge. The ADB estimates that US$60 billion per year is needed to meet the demand for urban infrastructure services in Asia in the five-year period till 2010.

Already, Public Utilities Board subsidiary, Singapore Utilities International, is providing consultancy services in Dhaka, Bangladesh and Kolkata, India to explore ways to resolve water shortages and train water management officials.

The signing of the ADB-IE Singapore MOU - witnessed by Environment and Water Resources Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Dr Amy Khor - took place at the start of a four-day forum on urban water and environmental management for Chinese policy-makers.

The forum, which involves 35 Chinese officials from 14 provinces, is the first training programme rolled out under the collaboration.

The Chinese officials will visit Singapore companies involved in the water and environmental sector, like Hyflux, United Engineers and CPG Consultants. They will also visit a desalination plant and a water reclamation plant.

China's deputy director-general of the Ministry of Construction, Mr Zhang Yue, told The Straits Times that his country's rapid development has placed a strain on its water resources and environment. Through this forum, he hopes to learn more about Singapore's water and waste management strategies.