No, it is not. The Singapore River is salty and it has to be processed before it is drinkable. Since processing this water is more costly compared to taking water from another source, the Singapore River is therefore not used as a source of water for us.
Then... Where do we get our source of water? Today, Singapore’s source of water is partially from the rainfall that is collected in its 16 reservoirs. This is the most economic solution as rainwater is comparably clean, and it is free. However, this has never been sufficient to slake the domestic thirst, so Singapore has had to turn to neighboring Malaysia to make up the shortfall. Now, Malaysia is pumping raw water from rivers in Malaysia to Singapore, and Singapore sells some of this back to Malaysia in the form of purified water.
Advances in technology further made desalinated water an economic solution for Singapore as well, as water from the sea is pumped through a membrane, rather than the old, evaporation technique which made desalinated water too expensive to be viable for Singapore. Water reclamation did not fall short as water is continually recycled from waste waters from homes and industries. The advance method used here makes this waste water safe for consumption, through complicated ultraviolet radiation and microfiltration among other methods.
Which do you think is the best source of water for Singapore? Why?
To me, I find that Singapore River’s best water supply is from the rainfall collected. I find that relying on other countries for water is not a good thing as the other country could just stop selling you water anytime they want. Reasons might be because of the lack of water in their own country or they found another country who would buy it at a higher price. Whatever the reason it is, Singapore has no say over what other countries decide. NEWater and desalinated water is an expensive way to get water. As we know, these processes require fuel, which is on the rise. Fuel, which is getting less and less on our planet, has a very high demand, which caused the price to have a steep incline over the past few years. To me, I find that this money could be put to a better use as to renovate buildings, given to charity, etcetra. I find that the best solution is still its own reservoir. The reservoir is a reliable, and less costly method of getting water. People might critic that by doing this, there will not be enough land for other use. However, I think that Singapore has a lot of unused land as well. Sometimes as I look out of the car, I can see huge patches of unused land, probably owned by the government. I think that some of this land can be used to build reservoirs.
Dear Nicholas,
ReplyDeleteI agree that catchment areas are a source of water for Singapore. Catchment areas cover over 66% of Singapore's land area, supplying about 20% of Singapore's water. I think it is a viable source of water as rainwater is cleaner than water from the Singapore River or seawater, making it much less expensive to purify. The water from the Singapore reservoirs passes all the international requirements for clean water, including amount of suspended particles, transparency of water and amounts of pathogenic bacteria.
You may also want to reconsider the water agreements with Malaysia as good alternatives. I agree with all the disadvantages you have pointed out, but I feel you have not considered the benefits. Water agreements can foster good relations between two countries because they have to remain in the contract or suffer the withdrawal penalties. Each government can learn to tolerate the other's idiosyncrasies and appreciate their strong points. However, I do note that the reliability of such imported water is in doubt, as you have pointed out.
However, I think you are overlooking NEWater and desalination as viable alternatives as well. NEWater, although expensive, is of a much higher quality and supplies 30% of Singapore's total water needs. Singapore's high-tech manufacturing industries require a large amount of pure water for industrial purposes. Wafer fabrication plants in Singapore need pure water to clean their microchips, because tiny pieces of impurities will damage the chips. Desalination is also a viable alternative, supplying 10% of Singapore's water needs. Admittedly the latest technology still does not make the water commercially viable in the domestic market. However, technology improves at an exponential rate. In the next few decades or years, we could see a breakthrough in water purification technology that would make desalinated water cheap enough to warrant commercialisation.
Your post can be a lot more well-rounded and explore the possibilities. Nicholas, this isn't a persuasive essay :D
Hi Nicholas,
ReplyDeleteI liked your blog post. It gives other more insights to Singapore River as well as the water resources that Singapore have. I find your post relatively short compared to your other posts. Even though you have included much information about Singapore’s water resource, you did not state any of your point of views.
In my perspective, I think that Singaporeans have to start water conservation as early as possible. Nowadays, many people take water for granted as there is no rationing at all, water just comes out from the taps whenever you turn them on. This results in many people not bothering and just wasting as much water as they want. This clearly shows that they do not know that water is a precious commodity. Only about 0.3% of the earth surface is fresh and accessible water. Even though the government did step up with many initiatives to educate Singaporeans to save water as well as to prevent water from being wasted, we, the citizens, are not doing enough.
Here, I have a few questions to ask you: Do you think that the initiatives by the Singapore government are successful? Why must we conserve water when we already have NEWater?
Cheers,
Leonard