Uploaded on 2018-01-18 by Fiona Nixon

Important stocks and flows for Singapore are water, ‘talent’ and sand. Water: A pipeline from Malaysia supplies much of Singapore’s water. It is literally a flow. To supplement this and reduce reliance on another country the city has constructed ‘newater’ plants that recycle, desalination plants, and has blocked off the Singapore River to retain rainwater. With the parallel adoption of water saving appliances and practices the country maybe self-sufficient in future. ‘Talent’: The country relies on imported labour both unskilled (‘foreign or domestic workers’) and skilled ‘foreign talent’. Recently, locals have resisted immigration and this is (anecdotally) having an adverse effect on the economy. Skilled workers who may have become citizens and increased the productive population are not being attracted and retained. In future more locals need to be trained in high-tech industries and service industry jobs need to be made more appealing (by increasing wages). Sand: Sand is essential in the manufacture of concrete. It is imported from Indonesia where it is mined from small islands. Occasionally, for political reasons, the Indonesians restrict supply, which pushes up costs. New materials suitable for high-rise use, example laminated timber or precast modules, need to be sourced from diverse suppliers.