While much of the attention in recent years has been paid to water scarcity issues, the problem that is more likely to precipitate a major water crisis in the coming years is not physical availability of the resource but regular deterioration of its quality because of continuing neglect in most parts of the world. All over the developing world, rivers and lakes within and around urban centres are already grossly contaminated with known and unknown pollutants. It is indeed a development paradox that people are clamoring for a better quality of life, and yet their economic, social, and environmental conditions are not improving according to their expectations, many times because of steady degradation of the environmental conditions. Throughout decades of international debates on environment and development-related issues, one of the very few countries that have laid the foundations for its growth through sound and consistent environment and development policies has been Singapore, even when the term “sustainable development” was not in vogue. The results of these policies are best reflected in the overall growth of the city–state, one that is among the very few examples of sustainable development in the world. Unlike the earlier newly industrializing economies of East Asia like South Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong who adopted the “industrialization first and dealing with consequences later” approach, Singapore decided to follow a different path which was economically efficient and environmentally sound. Realizing the fundamental importance of their limited natural resources, the city–state implemented very early sound environmental policies that would conserve its natural resources base in tandem with planned economic growth and development (Ooi 2005). One of the many actions Singapore implemented as part of its strategy for sustainable development was the clean-up of its several river systems which were grossly polluted when the city–state became independent in 1965. The then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew viewed river pollution not as an isolated problem, but as the end result of other development and social-related problems. He realized that if the nation was to develop as a successful industrial society, its population should have an improved quality of life and the environment should be protected. The overall philosophy was thus that economic development of the city–state could not be sustained and the quality of life of its people could not be significantly improved, unless environmental factors were considered as important as development issues. In March 1969, after decades of recommendations of committees and commission that had not been implemented mostly due to financial constraints, Prime Minister Lee called on the drainage engineers in the Public Works Department and water engineers in the Public Utility Board to prepare a comprehensive plan to solve the environmental problems associated with the waterways of Singapore. He stressed upon the importance of controlling river pollutants and emphasized the restoration of the river banks (National Archives 1969). A flurry of activities took place as part of this initiative and within 2 weeks, meetings between main agencies took place, pollution sources were identified and solutions to reduce the river pollution levels were proposed. By early 1977, much of the environmental work and control activities of river polluting sources had already been planned or were under consideration by various authorities. The cleaning of the several waterways had progressed already close to the mouth of the river, but the mouth itself and the catchment areas still represented a major challenge: more than 40 000 squatters were still living in unsanitary conditions in the vicinity of the rivers and liquid and solid wastes from the hawkers, vegetable vendors and markets and unsewered premises, continued representing a serious source of pollution. Furthermore, 610 pig farms and 500 duck farms were still draining untreated wastes into the waterways, especially into the Kallang Basin (Loy 1986; Dobbs 2003). Disappointed with the slow progress of the several government departments whose main concern was financial, in 1977, Prime Minister Lee gave them 10 years to complete the operations. True to Singapore style, once the political decision was made, the strategy to clean-up the Singapore River (historically the most important trade artery) and the Kallang Basin, was implemented within 10 years. A cursory analysis on the benefits of the clean-up, including the phenomenal increase in commercial and industrial activities and land values around the banks of the rivers, in addition to the significant overall health, social and environmental benefits, indicates the wisdom and the foresight of the Prime Minister.