A Large-Scale Systems Engineering Perspective of Water Management in Singapore

For a small country with almost no natural resources, Singapore has, over its 42 years of independence, developed an intricate water management system. This system has evolved from a combination of resource development, political diplomacy and acceleration towards enabling water technology. Singapore has found that ensuring a viable water supply for future growth is no longer dependent on any specific domain, but rather across a series of options that, at present, have already poised the island state for self-sufficiency. The selection of these options is not additive and must be analysed in consideration with the country's regional, political and economic goals. This paper examines Singapore's water management system from a large-scale systems engineering perspective: goals, boundaries, stakeholders and complexities involved in such a system. Such an approach illustrates how systems thinking and systems engineering tools may be used to understand systems complexities, how learning organization concepts and methodologies may be applied to understand behavioural complexities and how lean thinking facilitates a long term strategic philosophy, built on the premise of continuous improvements. Perhaps more importantly, it shows that while systems engineering, especially the systems approach, is necessary for the conceptualisation and planning of such a system, it is the systemic structures that have been put in place and the people/ culture that make it possible. © 2008 The Authors.