Amresh Gunasingham, Straits Times 3 Jul 09;
THE quality of Singapore's Newater exceeds standards for drinking water here and around the world, an external audit panel of water experts has found.
The panel, made up of both international and local water experts, put Singapore's own brand of reclaimed water to the test - more than 65,000 tests over six years, to be exact.
The seven experts - from a spectrum of disciplines such as toxicology, engineering and microbiology - were in Singapore for the 12th External Audit Panel Meeting, held in conjunction with the Singapore International Water Week last week.
The experts have met twice a year since November 2003 to perform independent audits and reviews on Newater, desalinated water, PUB tap water and reservoir water.
The panel's chairman, Professor Joan Rose from the Michigan State University's department of fisheries and wildlife, said the audit process has become more stringent over the years.
'Even with additional parameters to be monitored and lower levels of detection through more sensitive instrumentation, Newater still goes beyond the mark in all measures of quality,' she said.
From 190 types of tests conducted on water samples to detect chemical and microbiological parameters a decade ago, there are now 290.
PUB technology director Harry Seah said: 'The yardstick used worldwide to judge the quality of drinking water is around 130 tests. What Singapore has done is to track new emerging threats and constantly add to this.'
The panel has recommended to the PUB that it develop a management strategy to see how Newater can be used in times of emergency or prolonged dry weather.
Newater is now supplied to industries such as those in wafer fabrication, as well as to reservoirs. Under its existing plan, PUB will progressively increase the supply of the high-grade reclaimed water in Singapore's reservoirs to meet about 2.5 per cent of total daily water consumption by 2011.
The unpredictable effects of climate change and weather phenomena such as El Nino - which experts have predicted will strike in the region later this year - could bring prolonged spells of dry weather that affect water supplies, said Prof Rose.
In its report to the PUB, the panel noted that Newater can be used to meet Singapore's water needs 'without limits to its volume'.
It pointed to a rising acceptance worldwide of the use of reclaimed water as countries grapple with issues such as water scarcity and pollution.
Four Newater plants - in Bedok, Kranji, Seletar and Ulu Pandan - have the capacity to meet 15 per cent of Singapore's water needs. This is projected to double in two years' time, with the opening of a fifth Newater plant in Changi.
Thumbs up for NEWater
Channelnews Asia 2 Jul 09;
SINGAPORE: NEWater, Singapore's own brand of high-grade reclaimed water, continues to surpass international quality standards despite more rigorous audit process. This is the unanimous verdict of a panel of international and local water experts, after a week of extensive audit and review.
The so-called External Audit Panel concluded that "NEWater continues to be consistently of high quality and exceeds the Environmental Public Health's (EPH) and United States Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA) drinking water standards as well as the drinking water guidelines established by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and is therefore, safe as a source of water supply."
The comprehensive sampling and monitoring programme was established in 1999 as part of the R&D for the development of NEWater and has been gradually expanded from 190 physical, chemical and microbiological parameters to more than 290 monitored today.
Professor Joan Rose, chairperson of the panel since its inception, said: "We are very pleased to note that the high quality of NEWater has remained consistent all these years. In tandem with the rapidly evolving water R&D sector, the audit process has become more rigorous over the years.
"Even with additional parameters to be monitored and lower levels of detection through more sensitive instrumentation, NEWater still goes beyond the mark in all measures of quality.
"This demonstrates that the quality of NEWater surpasses international standards, and it also stands up well against the criteria established in Singapore."
Professor Rose is also the Homer Nowlin Chair in Water Research, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife in Michigan State University, USA.
Formed in November 2003, the seven-member External Audit Panel comprises experts from various disciplines ranging from engineering, water chemistry, toxicology and microbiology.
The panel was in Singapore for the 12th External Audit Panel Meeting, which was held in conjunction with the recently-concluded Singapore International Water week.
Because of its ultra-clean quality, NEWater is supplied to high-tech industrial and commercial customers in Singapore, especially those that have high-end processes like wafer fabrication that require water of a higher quality.
In line with international practice, NEWater is mixed with raw water in the reservoirs before undergoing further treatment at the waterworks for supply as drinking water. The existing plan is to progressively increase the amount of NEWater in reservoirs.
- CNA/ir
