Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said the opening of its US$119 million Tuas desalination plant had turned the island state's water vulnerability into strength. "Water is for us not an inexhaustible gift of nature, but a precious fruit of our efforts which we must husband and use wisely," he said on 13 September, speaking at the SingSpring plant opening ceremony. The plant is regarded as the largest desalination plant in Asia. However, while noting the presence of international water companies in Singapore for these ongoing projects, the Prime Minister fired a shot across their bows, urging local companies to turn their own experience into a competitive edge in the global market. The island state has said that it intends capturing 3-5% of the world water market in the next decade in a drive to establish the city-state as a "global hydrohub." Singapore is keen to decrease its reliance on water from Malaysia, aiming to be self-sufficient in water by 2061, when its water agreements with Malaysia expire. Singaporeans consume 300 million gallons of water daily, which comes from reservoirs, imported raw water from the southern Malaysian rivers and production of Newater or re-cycled water.
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