Over 1,000 Singaporeans Gather for Mass Qigong Session on Waterway Day

SINGAPORE – More than 1,000 Singaporeans on Sunday gathered for a mass qigong session in the island’s northeastern suburb of Punggol to recognize the national Waterway Day on the anniversary of the death of former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, who had championed sustainable water management for the island.

“Thanks to Mr. Lee’s vision and foresight, and the hard work of many public officers and engineers, we have four National Taps today,” Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean said at a speech at the event in Punggol, referring to the four main sources of water for Singapore’s 5.39-million population, local news site Today Online reported.

The Singapore government has developed a water management system that collects rainwater in reservoirs, desalinates sea water, recycles existing water and imports the remaining water needed from neighboring Malaysia, according to Hean.

The Waterway Day event, called “Water, A Celebration of Life,” saw participants engage in mass qigong, cycling and speed walking along Punggol’s East Coast parkway.

The conservation activities come just two days ahead of the internationally recognized World Water Day on Tuesday, for which initiatives by 400 community organizations are set to launch, including a carnival run at Bedok Reservoir, a canoe festival in Punggol and a kayak and river cleanup on a 200-meter stretch of Singapore’s longest river, the Kallang River.
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