This question posed by the ABC's Rear Vision program today... "Over the past ten years Australian cities and towns have faced water shortages and water restrictions, yet Singapore, which once imported 80 per cent of its water, has become self sufficient. Are there any lessons Australian cities can learn from Singapore?" (Source: ABC Rear Vision) is a wonderful big, essential or focus question for a WebQuest.
This is a great introductory resource for students (Years 9 - 12 or at University level) studying the complexities of water either in Geography, Geology, Urban Design, Economics [water as a currency], Politics [the investigation of reticulated water supply system against the use of household water tanks] or Ecology.
At a stretch, it could even be about Australian History as this resource also looks at the usage of water since white settlement in 1788 from the Tank Stream to current usage. Although produced in Australia and has lots of references to the Australian water condition, this resource could be used as a case study for students in other countries - USA, Canada, UK, Ireland, NZ to name a few.
There are various roles or perspectives to undertake: a person committed to desalination; a Singapore government water official; a person committed to stormwater harvesting; and, a person committed to water recycling.
As the world faces shortages in water - this would be a productive and interesting WebQuest for students to explore.
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