: Exchange Student

: Ang Yi Xiu

: F10402008

Four National Taps - Solution for lack of water supply in Singapore

Commonly referred to as the little red dot, Singapore is a small
country without any form of natural resource. It is located in Southeast
Asia and has a population of around 5.5 million. The lack of natural
resources means that Singapore needs to import daily necessities such as
water, food and electricity from neighbouring countries. In 1927,
Singapore and Johor signed the first agreement which allows Singapore to
import water from Johor for free (Segal, 2004). Subsequently, pipelines
were constructed to transport raw water to Singapore. It must be noted
that Singapore is being put in a precarious situation since it has to rely on
its bigger and stronger neighbours for survival. Malaysia once threatened
to turn off the water in Johor if Singapores foreign policy was in conflict
with Malaysias interests (Biswas & Tortajada, 2015). This small country is
thus subjected to the demands of countries such as Malaysia or Indonesia.
It is certainly worth a mention that the term little red dot, was used by
former Indonesian president Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie to describe
Singapore.
Water is essential for survival and it could be a potential national
crisis since there is insufficient water supply in Singapore. To make things
worse, water pipelines running through causeway were wrecked during
the 1942 war. There was one point of time when Singapore was only left
with weeks of water supply. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to focus on
the water security problem in Singapore and steps taken by the
government in urban water management.
In order to cope with the rapid industrialization and increased
demand in power, the Singaporean government first set up Public Utilities
Board (PUB) in 1963. At that point of time, PUBs task was to supply
electricity, gas and water for domestic and industrial usage. Make no
mistake, this particular task was considered to be an immense challenge
due to the lack of facilities and technology. In addition, there were
persistent problems in Singapore such as droughts, floods and water
pollution.
The urban water management scene in Singapore was largely
uneventful until 1965, when the country became independent. Since then,
the founding father of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew started to prioritize the
importance of establishing a reliable water supply. Extensive time and
effort were dedicated to strategic planning; investments were
continuously channeled into research and development.

: Exchange Student
: Ang Yi Xiu

: F10402008

Fast forward 50 years, PUB has constructed a robust and diversified

supply of water known as the Four National Taps (PUB, 2016). As
mentioned, Singapore currently has four main sources of water namely,
local catchment water, imported water, NEWater and desalinated water.
Local Catchment Water
Local catchment water involves collection of rainwater through a
network of drains, canals, rivers and reservoirs. The collected water needs
to go through treatment and subsequently distributed as drinking water.
With the completion of Marina Reservoir, two-thirds of Singapores land
surface is currently being used as water catchment area (Ghangaa, 2015).
It is known that PUB aims to expand Singapores water catchment area to
90%.
The Marina Reservoir is quite an engineering marvel. This particular
reservoir is being built at the heart of the city and it has become the most
urbanized catchment. Besides serving as a water catchment area, it is
also a popular spot for family outings and leisure activities.
However, there are also some negatives to local catchment water.
Collection of rainwater means that Singapores water supply is subjected
to the force of nature. Prolonged dry weather would signify a reduction in
water collection at the various reservoirs. In addition, water from
reservoirs will evaporate faster with an increased in temperature.
Therefore, this method of gathering water is somewhat unpredictable and
not reliable. It cannot be the main source of water for Singapore.
Imported Water
With insufficient rainwater to cater to the entire nation, Singapore
can only turn to Malaysia for help. Singapore imports water from Johor,
Malaysia, under two bilateral agreements signed during 1961 and 1962
(WWF Global, 2012). Since then, imported water can supply up to 60% of
Singapores water demand. However, the first agreement has already
expired in 2011, while the second is going to expire in 2061. Ongoing
disputes over the price of imported water mean that a new deal is unlikely
to happen. As a result, Singapore is going to let the agreements expire
and aspire to be self-sufficient in water by 2060.
Initially, the thought of being unable to import water from Malaysia
might sound daunting to Singaporeans. This is because Singapore has
been largely reliant on Malaysia for water for the past century. But, upon
taking a closer look on this issue, it might not be all bad after all. At the

: Exchange Student
: Ang Yi Xiu

: F10402008

very least, Singapore do not need to succumb to pressure from Malaysia.

Fears of Malaysia raising water prices or cutting off water supply would be
eliminated.
NEWater
NEWater plays a crucial role in Singapores path towards selfsustainability in water. The production of NEWater is made possible by a
sophisticated combination of membrane technology and the optimal
utilization under extremely subtle operating parameters (Chew,
Watanabe, &Tou, 2011). Simply speaking, it is the conversion of
wastewater into portable water through innovative measures. PUB
estimates that NEWater can meet up to 55% of Singapores future water
demand by 2060.
When the government first announced the idea and production of
NEWater, it actually took some time before Singaporeans accepted this
alternative source of water. It cannot be helped that people who drink
NEWater will think of it as drinking waste produced from their regular
toilet breaks. Singaporeans also voiced out their concerns over safety
issues pertaining to NEWater.
However, since the inception of NEWater in early 2000s,
Singaporeans are being gradually convinced of this water source. NEWater
has even become a source of pride for Singaporeans. This is because
NEWater has received international recognition for its safety and reliability.
Desalinated Water
Lastly, desalinated water makes up Singapores fourth National Tap.
In 2005, the SingSpring desalination plant began operations and became
one the regions largest seawater reverse-osmosis plant (PUB, 2015). In
the desalination plant, seawater goes through a process whereby
suspended particles are removed. Water then undergoes the reverse
osmosis process, one which is similar to that used in NEWater. Finally,
desalinated water is mixed with treated water and supplied to domestic or
industrial usage. Through this form of treatment, PUB aspires to expand
Singapores desalination capacity to meet 25% of water demand by 2016.
Conclusion
Efforts made by PUB in water management over the past century
have been nothing short of impressive. With the availability of four
different water sources, Singapore would not be too over reliant on a
particular source such as imported water. Even if a water source dries up,

: Exchange Student
: Ang Yi Xiu

: F10402008

the nation can always turn to other three water sources to cater to the
peoples needs.

Bibliography
Asit K. Biswas, C. T. (2015, June 10). The Diplomat. Retrieved from
http://thediplomat.com/2015/06/urban-water-management-in-singaporepast-present-and-future/
Biswas, A. K., & Tortajada, C. (2015, June 10). The Diplomat. Retrieved from
http://thediplomat.com/2015/06/urban-water-management-in-singaporepast-present-and-future/
Chew, M. Y., Watanabe, C., & Tou, Y. (2011). The challenges in Singapore NEWater
development: Co-evolutionary development for innovation and industry
evolution. Technology in Society.
Ghangaa, M. (2015, August 5). The Straits Times. Retrieved from
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/environment/singapores-watersupply-where-does-it-come-from
PUB. (2015, September 15). Retrieved from
http://www.pub.gov.sg/water/Pages/DesalinatedWater.aspx
PUB. (2016, January 8). Retrieved from
http://www.pub.gov.sg/water/Pages/singaporewaterstory.aspx#a1
Segal, D. (2004). Singapores Water Trade with Malaysia and Alternatives.
WWF Global. (2012, March 1). WWF Global. Retrieved from
http://wwf.panda.org/wwf_news/?204587