Policies and Campaigns to Conserve Water Supply

Water may become scarce if not used carefully. It is very important that water conservation is to be carried out, with the increasing demand of water.
The national water agency in Singapore(PUB) has carried out some policies and campaigns to educate people about water conservation. They use a tagline that would encourage all people living in Singapore to save water and keep the waterways and water catchment areas clean.
The government imposes a two-tier conservation tax in the water usage bill. This is a way to discourage excessive use of water. A household who consumes more water will have to pay a higher water conservation tax as compared to a household who uses lesser water.
There are campaigns like "Save Water" too. It is to create awareness about issues related to scarcity of water and the right way to use it. In this campaign, water conservation talks are conducted in school, whereas, leaflets are distributed to households. The leaflets show tips on conserving water, such as, reducing shower time. This will result to a lesser amount of water used. Also, washing dishes and clothes in the dishwashers and washing machines on a full load reduces water wastage. People, too, need to watch and monitor their water usage bills, so excessive water consumption may be avoided.
Not only that, in a water rationing exercise, the water supply to some estates are temporarily cut-off to limit the consumption of water. This helps to spread awareness about the importance of water.

"Four National Taps Strategy"

The PUB has identified 4 taps or ways to increase the water supply in Singapore. These taps include increasing local catchment areas, importing water from Johor, NEWater and desalination of seawater.

Tap 1: Water from local catchments

14 water reservoirs are being constructed island wide, to increase the fresh water supply. Reservoirs receive water from the storm water collection ponds. The storm water ponds are now being constructed in some housing estates so that more water can be collected. Half of Singapore is water catchments. There is an extension of the catchments, Marina Barrage. Freshwater reservoirs are also constructed, such as Sungei Punggol and Sungei Serangoon. In 2009, water catchments of Singapore comprised 2/3 of Singapore's total area.

Tap 2: Imported Water

An international agreement on water is an agreement between two or more countries regarding the supply and use of water resources over a specific period of time. The terms and conditions on buying or sharing of water resources are discussed before signing the agreements. For example, Singapore has been buying water from Malaysia since 1920. There are 2 such agreements- signed in 1961 and expires in 2011, whereas, signed in 1962 and expires in 2061. Singapore buys raw water from the state of Johor while Johor buys back the water after it has been treated and potable water.

Tap 3: NEWater

NEWater is obtained from reclaiming used water. It is to increase the fresh water supply in Singapore. Used water is further purified making it suitable for human consumption. It is supplied to both industrial and commercial buildings, but a small percentage is blended and treated along with rainwater stored in reservoirs. This treated NEWater is then supplied to households for direct consumption. The first NEWater factories were started in 2003 in Bedok and Kranji. Followed by, Seletar and Ulu Pandan.

Tap 4: Desalinated Water

Desalination was undertaken to treat seawater and convert it into fresh water . The first desalination plant was set up in Tuas in 2005, where reverse osmosis is used to reclaim water. It supplies 136000 million litres of desalinated water daily, whic meets 10% of Singapore's water needs. The desalination plant is an integral role in Singapore's drive towards self-sufficiency and it meets with the future needs at an affordable cost.