PUB shares water-saving tips as Singapore faces dry spell

Fry Days
Shuli Sudderuddin, Straits Times 7 Mar 10;

Brown grass patches, like at this Sengkang field, are a common sight as NParks has stopped routine watering of plants to conserve water. -- ST PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN

The dry weather has brought a deluge of PUB officers - they knock on doors to tell households how to save water.

Staff from PUB, the national water agency, have been visiting homes from 2003 under the Water Efficient Homes scheme to teach conservation and money-saving tips.

But as the rains have stubbornly been keeping away - partly because of El Nino - the number of calls has trebled to about 5,000 a week.

El Nino is a climate phenomenon that disrupts weather patterns in many parts of the world, including South-east Asia. It usually leads to drier and warmer conditions in many parts of the region.

Singapore's current dry weather - 5.3mm of rainfall from Feb 1 to 23 - has led to a surge in water usage. About 322.5 million gallons a day were used from Feb 1 to 13. The lowest rainfall for any month was 8.4mm, recorded in February 1968 and February 2005.

PUB told The Sunday Times that the water levels at Singapore's 15 reservoirs are within the normal range.

The figures show that for the months of December last year to February, the capacity in the reservoirs fluctuated from 91 per cent to 96 per cent of the total storage in Singapore.

This was similar to the levels a year ago for the months of December to February.

Still, water conservation is prudent.

PUB will send staff to homes if requested to share tips and install free water-saving devices. But it encourages residents to install the devices themselves as far as possible.

The Sunday Times tagged along on Friday when PUB staff visited housewife Margaret Chen, who lives in a terrace house in Serangoon Gardens.

PUB technician Sapari Arsid, 57, advised watering plants in the early morning or evening to minimise loss from evaporation.

He also fixed thimbles on Mrs Chen's taps to reduce water pressure.

Mrs Chen, in her 50s, said she already saves water by using it only for necessities like bathing and cooking, but was looking to cut her usage further.

She said: 'Singapore's water supply is so precious because it's of World Health Organisation standards and drinkable straight from the tap. We should really treasure it.'

She stressed that education is important for children and older people. She is pleased that PUB goes door-to-door to teach water-saving tips.

Said a PUB spokesman: 'We visit those who make requests, but we also visit those whose consumption is above the national average.'

For example, the average national water consumption for an HDB flat is about 18 to 20 cubic m.

Meanwhile, the patches of brown grass observed in many parts of Singapore may be here to stay for a while.

Mr Simon Longman, director of streetscape at NParks, said it has stopped routine watering to conserve water. It has left the bulk of plants to survive through natural resilience.

NParks waters only selectively - for example, special stretches of landscape like those at the East Coast Parkway - during a prolonged dry season.

However, the president of the Nature Society, Dr Shawn Lum, noted that most plants are quite hardy.

He said: 'There have been dry periods before. Most of the plants made it through okay then, as they did in previous dry spells and El Nino years, and I suspect that they'll green up again when the rains return.'

The forecast for the first two weeks of this month is generally dry weather, with showers of short duration expected on three to four days in the afternoon.

But rainfall is expected to be below average for most parts of the island.

Save water with this thimble
Straits Times 7 Mar 10;

A hot topic now is the dry weather. Water usage has gone up but staff from national water agency PUB can go to your home to help you save money. PUB technician Sapari Arsid (left) shows housewife Margaret Chen how to install a thimble to slow down the flow of water from the tap.

The thimble, which comes in PUB's free water-saving kit, can help a typical household save about 5 per cent of its water consumption by altering the water pressure in sink and basin taps and showerheads. It was invented by Mr Chong Hou Chun, now PUB's director of water supply network, and his team of officers in the 1990s.