:00:00. > :00:00.Uruguay beat Colombia? We will be back with the latest
:00:00. > :00:09.headlines as well. Right now it is time for talking business.
:00:10. > :00:12.Flooding and access to clean water are issues that affect Britain,
:00:13. > :00:15.As cities get smarter, will technology provide
:00:16. > :00:17.the answers to that and other public services challenges?
:00:18. > :00:42.Here in Singapore, I am Linda Yueh and we are Talking Business.
:00:43. > :00:48.More people moving to cities can help with access to public services
:00:49. > :00:50.like water, but managing urbanisation poses
:00:51. > :00:56.Extreme weather and flooding have affected cities around the world.
:00:57. > :00:59.Plus a lack of access to clean water is an issue for countries
:01:00. > :01:05.ranging from China and India to rich nations like Singapore.
:01:06. > :01:08.Four out of five people live in areas where access to fresh water
:01:09. > :01:14.Around the world, nearly 800 million people lack access to clean water.
:01:15. > :01:17.Nearly half of those are in Africa, with the remainder in Asia
:01:18. > :01:23.Around half of the global population is potentially affected by
:01:24. > :01:27.flooding which has wreaked havoc even in rich countries.
:01:28. > :01:30.The Netherlands is a country that is accustomed to
:01:31. > :01:34.Key parts of the nation are below sea level.
:01:35. > :01:36.I caught up with the Dutch Minister for infrastructure
:01:37. > :01:41.and the environment, Melanie Shultz van Haegen to find out why flooding
:01:42. > :01:46.has come to the forefront of global policy concerns.
:01:47. > :01:50.It has become more of an issue because of two reasons.
:01:51. > :01:55.Rising sea levels, more water coming from rivers
:01:56. > :02:01.More heavy rainfall and also more dry periods,
:02:02. > :02:09.More and more people living in urban areas and one of the
:02:10. > :02:14.problems for example that you see in Japan and Asia is when people go and
:02:15. > :02:24.live in these urban areas they also need fresh water and clean water.
:02:25. > :02:30.They do ground water extraction and so on the one hand you see
:02:31. > :02:33.the city subsiding and on the other hand, you see the sea
:02:34. > :02:39.You glance around the world and you look at the UK, and the US.
:02:40. > :02:43.Are you quite surprised that they have such massive
:02:44. > :02:46.problems with flooding? I am not that surprised.
:02:47. > :02:48.We had a lot of practice in the Netherlands
:02:49. > :02:52.because the Netherlands is a country that has lain below sea`level.
:02:53. > :02:57.Two thirds of our GDP is earned at this level.
:02:58. > :03:02.So we have had a lot of years to experience and to learn
:03:03. > :03:06.Most countries did not have that until now.
:03:07. > :03:13.Until the sea water level rising starts to hear,
:03:14. > :03:23.The first time when Katrina hit New Orleans, we were all surprised,
:03:24. > :03:26.this is not a poor country, it is a developed country.
:03:27. > :03:29.But now we see New York after Sandy with the same problems of flooding
:03:30. > :03:35.It is not a problem for some countries, it is all countries.
:03:36. > :03:37.And I think that they are now getting aware that
:03:38. > :03:43.What kind of policy solutions do you see
:03:44. > :03:47.as needed to prevent it as opposed to dealing with it after the fact?
:03:48. > :03:51.It is important to see it as an integral problem.
:03:52. > :03:56.If you only work on the technical solutions, making dams or something
:03:57. > :04:01.It should be a long`term approach for
:04:02. > :04:06.governments, so you need commitment even after the elections.
:04:07. > :04:23.Because these are long`term projects.
:04:24. > :04:28.Because the water is coming from rivers and threatening people
:04:29. > :04:36.It is also about protecting your coastal zone with sand supply.
:04:37. > :04:41.There are so many solutions that are important and we can export
:04:42. > :04:45.a lot of the knowledge and experience from the Netherlands.
:04:46. > :04:48.Finally, I find it fascinating that on the
:04:49. > :04:52.one hand we have been talking about flooding and on the other hand we
:04:53. > :04:56.are talking about the use of water, water shortage, around the world.
:04:57. > :05:00.And urbanisation is one of the causes of why this flooding
:05:01. > :05:08.has become a bigger issue, even for developed countries.
:05:09. > :05:17.because it brings more mainstream services to people.
:05:18. > :05:22.You have looked at this issue quite a lot.
:05:23. > :05:25.It would be interesting to get your take on what I see
:05:26. > :05:29.A very interesting balance to be struck there?
:05:30. > :05:32.Well, clean water has not been such a problem for governments
:05:33. > :05:37.They say people should get their own water and nowadays,
:05:38. > :05:41.you see that they really understand that that is a problem if they don't
:05:42. > :05:44.give them clean water, they will take themselves by illegal ground
:05:45. > :05:49.And that extraction will give you problems of pollution
:05:50. > :06:00.So they have to walk on clean water programmes.
:06:01. > :06:06.They have to walk that they have to work on clean programmes.
:06:07. > :06:09.They aren't even more expensive than preventing flooding.
:06:10. > :06:11.So it is difficult for government to set aside money
:06:12. > :06:15.It is also something that takes a long time to plan.
:06:16. > :06:18.For some countries, like Singapore, it is difficult because there is
:06:19. > :06:22.They do not have much in natural resources.
:06:23. > :06:24.So you always have to think about technologies, too.
:06:25. > :06:27.How do you make fresh water from saltwater, for example?
:06:28. > :06:31.These examples, the new technologies, the use of clean water
:06:32. > :06:37.for everyone, these changes for governments in coming years.
:06:38. > :06:39.These are the challenges for governments.
:06:40. > :06:43.That was Melanie. So governments may want to resolve water issues but
:06:44. > :06:46.they don't have a long`term view and financing seems to be a problem.
:06:47. > :06:55.Could the private sector be a solution?
:06:56. > :07:07.Could also be good business? Joining me to discuss this is David
:07:08. > :07:12.Henderson and Joseph Hung who provides technologies for
:07:13. > :07:18.desalination solutions. Water is great business. For many reasons. It
:07:19. > :07:22.is one of the biggest challenges of the 21st century. Secondly, it is a
:07:23. > :07:26.challenge that we need to address. And if you think of water on
:07:27. > :07:29.different levels, we needed for pretty much everything we do. That
:07:30. > :07:34.is something that most people miss. Most people see lakes, they turn the
:07:35. > :07:38.tap on and there is water, but they don't understand that everything we
:07:39. > :07:43.produce, everything we eat, everything we do involves water. Is
:07:44. > :07:52.that why you are starting a water business? Pretty much. Water is
:07:53. > :07:56.everywhere. Increasingly more so in the next century. What are you
:07:57. > :08:01.hoping to do with your business? I just want to publicise my technology
:08:02. > :08:09.into the market. What kind of technology is it. It is a kind of
:08:10. > :08:13.desalination. We take waste from industries and disseminate water at
:08:14. > :08:18.a lower cost. Is it hard to get financing? We started off with
:08:19. > :08:22.co`founders and now we have companies funding us. But it is in
:08:23. > :08:29.the private sector. We haven't gone into the VCs. That is the next
:08:30. > :08:35.round, venture capital. At what point would you say that is a good
:08:36. > :08:40.water business to invest in? Like most VCs, we look for big
:08:41. > :08:44.opportunities, big problems. And of course technology that can solve
:08:45. > :08:50.that problem. He is on his way with his technology. The thing about
:08:51. > :08:54.water is that government have `` governments have a big say in it.
:08:55. > :08:58.How hard is it to work with governments? Because you would have
:08:59. > :09:03.to work with them if you want to go to any scale with your business? It
:09:04. > :09:06.is tricky. It depends which government. We started with the
:09:07. > :09:08.Middle East because we found it depends which government. We started
:09:09. > :09:12.with the Middle East because we founded Elizabeth... They really
:09:13. > :09:16.need it. Yes, the demand is there, and when that is the case, it is
:09:17. > :09:21.easier to work with them. And we also tried China and Singapore. How
:09:22. > :09:27.well you finding it? You have to keep in mind the government side of
:09:28. > :09:31.it. I think there is a big transformation taking place. I think
:09:32. > :09:35.if you went back 20 or 30 years, prior to that, governments did not
:09:36. > :09:39.care as much and there were others create a lot of issues that happened
:09:40. > :09:43.around that. I think that has changed. Most governments understand
:09:44. > :09:49.that water is pivotal to the economy. Never mind their welfare
:09:50. > :09:51.and health of people, if you don't have good water for your
:09:52. > :09:57.agricultural processes and your economy, you are in trouble.
:09:58. > :10:03.Singapore is a great example of that. They recognise the importance
:10:04. > :10:08.of water. I think it has changed. Is there a danger that water, which is
:10:09. > :10:12.a precious resource, gets taken over by private businesses and the end up
:10:13. > :10:17.in a James Bond world where you will dominate the world using water. I'm
:10:18. > :10:21.exaggerating, a little bit! But the idea that something that is a public
:10:22. > :10:23.good wishes run by private businesses in some capacity, will
:10:24. > :10:29.that not make some people quite worried? Yes, there is always a
:10:30. > :10:33.concern when you have something as valuable as water and the private
:10:34. > :10:37.sector is involved. But I think the private sector being involved is a
:10:38. > :10:42.good thing, not a bad thing. The reason is that the private sector
:10:43. > :10:45.brings innovation. And there is a lot of response ability placed on
:10:46. > :10:49.the private sector. I don't think you can get away with things like
:10:50. > :10:54.you used to. The great example I use is when you think historically,
:10:55. > :10:58.something would happen where there was water `` whether it was water or
:10:59. > :11:03.something else, it may make the front cover of a paper somewhere.
:11:04. > :11:08.This was like in the 1970s or 1960s. People would read about it and
:11:09. > :11:12.forget about it. But everybody now has a smartphone, or a Twitter
:11:13. > :11:16.account and private companies now realise that they can't afford the
:11:17. > :11:23.brand issues around irresponsibly see. Because everybody is going to
:11:24. > :11:26.police them. So I am not concerned about the private sector being
:11:27. > :11:36.involved. I'm actually involve `` Amity concerned there should be more
:11:37. > :11:42.private sector involvement. What do you see as the biggest obstacle? We
:11:43. > :11:48.have to convince governments and large corporations to allow us to
:11:49. > :11:52.test our technology with them. I'm proud to say we have just overcome
:11:53. > :11:56.it. The next stage is commercialisation so we will take
:11:57. > :12:00.what we have proven and bring it to the market. Why are you in this
:12:01. > :12:06.business? That is a good question. When we set up our firm, all we do
:12:07. > :12:10.is water and waste water. When we looked around the world we said we
:12:11. > :12:15.would set up a financial firm. We like a start`up, we had to
:12:16. > :12:19.differentiate. There is a massive problem with water. There was not a
:12:20. > :12:24.professional institutional body addressing it. We saw an opportunity
:12:25. > :12:27.to build a differentiated investment product. There is lots of
:12:28. > :12:34.institutional and private investors that want to help solve this problem
:12:35. > :12:39.and make a return. David and Josef on. Water is one of the issues
:12:40. > :12:42.facing big cities with growing population straining public systems.
:12:43. > :12:46.More and more cities are becoming smart. Imagine a city whose traffic
:12:47. > :12:52.lights are precisely calibrated to the speed of vehicles so there
:12:53. > :12:57.aren't any traffic jams. All stores that project adverts that cater to
:12:58. > :13:01.your consumption preferences. Computers could play a greater role
:13:02. > :13:06.in the running of cities and our lives. Cities may transform the way
:13:07. > :13:10.that we live. Is it a good thing to live in so`called smart cities and
:13:11. > :13:16.what is the role of the non`governmental sector? To find out
:13:17. > :13:20.I caught up with a representative for the centre of liveable cities
:13:21. > :13:25.and Michael Dixon from IBM. I don't think cities have changed much in
:13:26. > :13:28.5000 years. 3000 years ago we could have gone to the Middle East.
:13:29. > :13:32.Buildings where people slept, where Jordan listened to adults to learn
:13:33. > :13:37.things, buildings where sick people were. ` children. In the last 20
:13:38. > :13:41.years there has been a huge change. We have seen and chronic
:13:42. > :13:45.infrastructure being put in place that has brought it together in ways
:13:46. > :13:49.we couldn't imagine. ` electronic. The large amount of data we are
:13:50. > :13:54.bringing together, the analytics that goes with it, the mobile
:13:55. > :13:57.access, to live free from the cloud, integration of social media, is
:13:58. > :14:02.changing the face of cities for the first time in a long time. `
:14:03. > :14:06.delivery. Do you think there is a fundamental transformation of
:14:07. > :14:10.cities? The technology has accelerated tremendously in the last
:14:11. > :14:14.20 years. When you talk about the green city or liveable city or
:14:15. > :14:21.sustainable city, what you're talking about is people. The
:14:22. > :14:27.outcomes of livability of people, a good quality of life, a clean
:14:28. > :14:33.environment. A city that can provide jobs. How do you get right mix of
:14:34. > :14:39.balance. Technology is part of it. I think even more fundamental is the
:14:40. > :14:45.fact you have an integrated approach to planning. To getting things done.
:14:46. > :14:50.Most importantly, it is about government, good governance at
:14:51. > :14:56.city level. Is it technology that is making its mark, slightly
:14:57. > :15:03.different... ` smart. Technology is an enabler but it is cities that
:15:04. > :15:08.make the difference. Tackling urban mobility, putting together huge
:15:09. > :15:12.amounts of data from the public transport system and the private
:15:13. > :15:15.road network to deliver better services to people. It is about
:15:16. > :15:19.large amount of data being used to analytics to give information for
:15:20. > :15:24.decision`making that makes a big difference to the way assets are
:15:25. > :15:29.used and services are delivered. When you mentioned data and
:15:30. > :15:33.technology we worry about hacking. Does that mean we could be, our
:15:34. > :15:39.cities could be more vulnerable in the future to cyber
:15:40. > :15:41.opportunities around engagement for individuals. Individuals are getting
:15:42. > :15:44.the ability to communicate with each other, with their government, in all
:15:45. > :15:51.sort of ways that haven't been possible. The advantages of those
:15:52. > :15:54.kind of engagement, the ability to embrace the city, to express
:15:55. > :15:58.requirement, to meet those requirements with all sort of
:15:59. > :16:04.services, is unprecedented change for cities. It gives them the chance
:16:05. > :16:08.to become smarter, I think we are ahead of a long period of evolution.
:16:09. > :16:13.On the issue of cyber security, it is a huge issue for people as they
:16:14. > :16:17.look at data. Is that a danger for cities in the future? I think cities
:16:18. > :16:23.take that as part of the capability they need to address. Or cities that
:16:24. > :16:27.as an issue, it is one of the many issues they deal with. Dashboard.
:16:28. > :16:32.at lower costs. That is what many of at lower costs. That is what many of
:16:33. > :16:37.these kind of projects deliver. Do you think cities are fully aware of
:16:38. > :16:41.the dangers? Sustainable cities have to be resilient. Resilience means
:16:42. > :16:46.they must be able to withstand shocks from all sorts of things come
:16:47. > :16:53.in disasters, as well as things that happened, not necessarily natural.
:16:54. > :17:00.Security, physical security, data security. These are issues that are
:17:01. > :17:04.part of the complexity, when we talk about cities grappling with and
:17:05. > :17:09.managing. What is the city of the future if you had to look ahead 20
:17:10. > :17:13.years? In Singapore we have the iPhone app and you can find out
:17:14. > :17:18.property transactions, in the neighbourhood, real`time. On the
:17:19. > :17:23.click of an iPhone. There are a lot of things that increasingly, you
:17:24. > :17:27.click on an app and you know when the next bus will arrive. And if you
:17:28. > :17:31.could be helping onto a train. There were lots of things, especially
:17:32. > :17:35.among younger people, that are very connected. ` hopping. With
:17:36. > :17:39.smartphones. The city of the future is already here, cities like in
:17:40. > :17:47.Indonesia with two and a half million people. The mayor got
:17:48. > :17:52.elected because he has a Twitter following of 600,000 in a city of
:17:53. > :17:55.two and a half million. He is using this new smart technology to reach
:17:56. > :18:01.out to his citizens so he can feel the powers of his citizens, almost
:18:02. > :18:05.real time. He knows what their needs are, so he can better response and
:18:06. > :18:11.plan. That is governance. What about you? The city of the feature will be
:18:12. > :18:15.predicated on personalised services, the kind of things we can see in the
:18:16. > :18:20.commercial environment. ` future. Government traditionally has tackled
:18:21. > :18:25.problems by specific departments. I think we will see that change. I
:18:26. > :18:28.think we will see Cecil 's security department is working closely with
:18:29. > :18:34.health departments, working with employment services and education
:18:35. > :18:36.and public safety. ` social. In society and in the cities that
:18:37. > :18:41.really pull those cities together, it will change, people will be able
:18:42. > :18:48.to consume services where they have direct input into what they need. No
:18:49. > :18:53.more traffic jams? Why not? We need to go back, we are very creative
:18:54. > :18:57.people. We solve these kind of problems. There were people who said
:18:58. > :19:00.London couldn't have any more people are hundred years ago because the
:19:01. > :19:04.horse manure was such an impediment on progress in the city. It is
:19:05. > :19:09.short`sighted to say we will solve this, we have seen vehicles,
:19:10. > :19:16.electric vehicles, driverless cars, all sort of initiatives that
:19:17. > :19:20.addresses issues. I joke that my children, or my grandchildren will
:19:21. > :19:23.joke about, tell me about when you swung on the big wheel and pushed
:19:24. > :19:29.the things on the floor. Those kind of things will be passing into
:19:30. > :19:36.history. Have you ever wondered what it is like to run the city? Hazel is
:19:37. > :19:43.93 years old and has been mayor of the Canadian city of Mississauga for
:19:44. > :19:47.36 years. She tells me why the job has got harder over the years. When
:19:48. > :19:56.I took over as mayor of Mississauga we had a population of 260,000. We
:19:57. > :20:06.had a certain economic base. That space has greatly increased. We have
:20:07. > :20:10.many businesses to look after. Secondly we have added more than
:20:11. > :20:20.half a million people. We have more people. The needs of the people have
:20:21. > :20:24.changed. As a result it is a much tougher job than it was. It is a
:20:25. > :20:28.full`time job. Many people actual age would be sitting in the garden
:20:29. > :20:34.having a cup of tea. ` act your age. How long do you expect to be doing
:20:35. > :20:37.this job before you decide to sit in your garden and have a cup of tea
:20:38. > :20:41.instead? I don't think there will be sitting in my garden because even
:20:42. > :20:44.though I'm the mayor I do my own gardening and housework. I don't
:20:45. > :20:51.think I'll be doing that. I will be very active. I'm not going to give
:20:52. > :20:54.up doing the job for local government, trying to get more
:20:55. > :21:02.responsibility for local government, and certainly getting more funding
:21:03. > :21:07.so they can do a job which they are called upon to do. And I able, local
:21:08. > :21:16.government is able to do the job. They just don't have the funding to
:21:17. > :21:22.do the job. One of my jobs will be to see off we can get more authority
:21:23. > :21:26.for local government and more funding. So they can discharge their
:21:27. > :21:30.responsibilities. There are not many women who have remained in politics
:21:31. > :21:37.for as long as you have. It must've changed a lot over your lifetime. It
:21:38. > :21:42.has changed a lot. When I look back to when I was first elected mayor of
:21:43. > :21:49.streets fill, there were few mayors across Canada. Now there are mayors
:21:50. > :21:57.for large cities, in the provinces, the only thing we lack now, although
:21:58. > :22:02.we did have the Prime Minister who was a woman for a short while, Kim
:22:03. > :22:07.Cambell, it is happening. Not as quickly as I would like to see it
:22:08. > :22:12.happen, but it is happening. Smart cities that use energy and resources
:22:13. > :22:16.efficiently could transform our lives. Greater urbanisation could be
:22:17. > :22:20.the solution to bring you greater access to clean water for the
:22:21. > :22:25.hundreds of millions and provide was security. But flooding and financing
:22:26. > :22:29.remained problems. ` water. In any case the future could look a lot
:22:30. > :22:36.different to today. That's all we have time for. Check out our
:22:37. > :22:37.website. And me on twitter. Join us next time for more Talking Business
:22:38. > :22:48.with me, Linda Yueh. Good evening, today we saw some
:22:49. > :22:49.torrential downpours, thunder,