Reasons for Water Scarcity in Singapore

• Not enough large rivers in Singapore.
• Drier months from June to October.
• Loss of many catchment areas due to development plans and past actions on the natural landscape.
• Annual increase in demand for water as population grows and industries expand.

And hence, water is considered a strategic resource in Singapore. This means that it requires skills to manage the use of water in Singapore so that we will not be put in a vulnerable position. Mis-managing the use of water will translate into hiccups in the economy and disruption to our everyday lives.

The Singapore Government recognised the need to increase the water supply in Singapore and responded by implementing the following measures:

- Setting up DESALINATION PLANT

- Building more RESERVOIRS

- Develop used water purification plants PRODUCTION OF NEWater

1. DESALINATION PLANT

The process removes salt from seawater and can produce 30 million gallons of freshwater daily by 2005. This method of increasing the supply of freshwater is one of the most expensive. The high cost that may be incurred has deterred Singapore Government on embarking on the idea. But over the past decade, the cost of treating seawater has fallen by 50%. After constructing a S$400 million plant, the production of freshwater by desalination is set to commence by 2005.

Speech delivered by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the opening of Singapore's first desalination plant, SingSpring Desalination Plant (Sept, 2005)

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2. RESERVOIRS Also in the pipelines are the plans to build more reservoirs. Marina Bay will be a freshwater reservoir and a new reservoir will also be created downstream of the existing Lower Seletar Reservoir. In time to come, all reservoirs will be joined together to maximise the use of their water. These projects will be completed in 2009.

3. NEWATER

Purifying used water has been a practice in many developed countries. To increase the supply of water in Singapore, used water undergoes stringent purification processes such as reverse osmosis and disinfectant process with the use of UV rays. The use of advanced technology enables clean water to be extracted from used water. This water (named NEWater) is then mixed and blended with reservoir water and put through the conventional water treatment before it is distributed as drinking water.

Official Site for NEwater Treatment Plant, Singapore

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• Water Agreement with Malaysia
• Maintaining Reservoirs and Recycling Water
• Imposing Tariff and Taxes

a) Water Agreement with Malaysia

2 water agreements were signed between Singapore and Malaysia. The first agreement is signed in 1961 and will expire in 2011. The second is signed later in 1962 and will be expired by 2061. Under the agreeement, Malaysia will supply Singapore with 350 million gallons of raw water per day to Singapore at 3 sen per 1000 gallons. Singapore will then treat this raw water at RM2.40 per 1000 gallons and sell it back to Johor at 50 sen per 1000 gallons. Recently there were discussion about adjusting the prices. Malaysia wants to raise the current price of raw water to 60 sen per 1000 gallons from 2002 to 2006 and to 3RM from 2007 to 2011. However Singapore is only willing to pay 45 sen per 1000 gallons between now till 2011 and 60 sen per 1000 gallons from 2011 to 2061.

So, will Malaysia continue to supply us with water??

Malaysia won the right to charge Singapore more for the raw water supplied under the two pacts signed in 1961 and 1962. However, details of the price was not disclose in the media. Malaysia has also agreed to supply us with water for another 100 years after 1962 agreement expires, as shown in the newspaper extract below.

b) Maintaining Reservoirs and Recycling Water

By maintaining the 14 existing reservoirs and their catchment areas, the water collected can make up a portion of the amount of water required by the country. Water which has been used or contains waste is reused for industrial purposes. This recycled water is used in factories in Jurong Industrial Park to cool down machinery. In this way, clean potable water is conserved.

c) Water Tariff and Conservation Tax

These taxes and tariffs were introduced to caution Singaporeans against excessive consumption of water and encourage water conservation.

Acidic freshwater lakes first identified in Scandinavia during the early 1970s. Many countries face this environmental problem. In Sweden, 14 000 out 85 000 lakes are acidified by man-made air pollution.

Wikipedia Encyclopedia has the following internal link to describe and explain what Acid Rain is.

--KranjiSS Geographers 07:34, 8 November 2005 (UTC)Since the industrial revolution, emissions of sulfur and nitrogen oxides to the atmosphere have increased. Industrial and energy-generating facilities that burn fossil fules, primarily coal, are the principal sources of increased sulfur oxides.[reply]

Occassional pH reading of well below 2.4 (the acidity of vinegar) have been reported in industrialized areas. These sources, plus the transportation sector, are the major originators of increased nitrogen oxides.

• Effects on Plants and Animals

Acid rain falls into lakes → Increases the acidity of water → Reduces the ability of the fishes to take in O2, salts & nutrients which are needed for their survival → Some species of plants and animals may not be able to tolerate highly acidic water → Plants & animals die

Acid rain falls on vegetation → Protective coating on the leaves wear away → Brown spots on leaves are created → Leaves die → Unable to photosynthesize → Trees is not supplied with enough energy → Trees become weak → Become more susceptible to diseases.

Acid rain dissolves minerals that exist in soil → Soil is made toxic → Toxic minerals absorbed by trees → Leaves die.

--Maybelline Tan 01:13, 7 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

• Effects on Human

• Effects on Buildings

Acid rain falls on buildings → Dissolves marble, limestone and sandstone → Rate of weathering is accelerated.

The following link gives you informattion to the situation in US and Canada. Managing the formation and effects of Acid Rain is also being discussed here. [[3]]

• use liming to neutralize the acidified lake
• fix catalytic converters in cars
• increase the price of cars to limit car ownership
• encourage car pooling
• turn to cleaner alternative sources of energy. eg. Hydropelectric power station, solar energy