Straits Times Forum 15 Nov 08;
PUB, the national water agency, thanks Mr Peter Bird for his letter, 'Educate public not to pollute Marina Bay' (Nov 7).
We are heartened that Mr Bird shares our views that the public has a part to play in ensuring that water channelled into Marina Reservoir is clean.
Marina Reservoir is Singapore's 15th reservoir and the first in the city centre collecting water from areas such as Orchard Road, Ang Mo Kio, Bishan and Alexandra.
As Mr Bird has rightly pointed out, soapy water should be drained into the sewerage system, and not into the network of drains and canals which are part of our rainwater collection system. This is especially important for Singapore which has separate networks for the collection of rainwater and used water to ensure that the rainwater collected is not contaminated by used water.
Although advances in technology have enabled us to treat raw reservoir water to drinking water standards, every one of us can still contribute to keeping our catchments clean. To promote greater awareness of the importance of keeping Singapore's waterways clean, PUB has been working closely with various businesses and community groups on several initiatives. For instance, to tackle the problem of silty discharge from construction sites, PUB collaborated with the construction industry on a concerted campaign of public education and engagement, along with technology upgrading and the enforcement of good earth control measures.
PUB's catchment surveillance team visits households and commercial establishments, such as eating houses, to advise premise owners to discharge used water and food waste from washing activities into sewers and not roadside drains.
In addition, we have sewer rehabilitation programmes in place to ensure that the underground sewer system is free of leakages. We have also been actively encouraging individuals and organisations to adopt our waterways and keep them clean, so they learn to treasure and value this precious resource.
With the addition of three new reservoirs, including Marina Reservoir, Singapore's water catchments will increase from half to two-thirds by 2011. We hope all Singaporeans can help keep our catchments and waterways clean so we will have beautiful waterways that everyone can enjoy.
Members of the public can contact us on 1800-284-6600 if they see any pollution to the waterways.
Yap Kheng Guan
Director, 3P Network
PUB
