Singapore's leaders push for water conservation on World Water Day

Vimita Mohandas Channel NewsAsia 15 Mar 14;

SINGAPORE: There has been little or no rainfall since mid-January, and the importance water conservation was stressed by our leaders as Singapore observes World Water Day on Saturday.

Activities aimed at spreading the water conservation message were held island-wide on Saturday. With the theme of "Going Big on Saving Water" -- activities will be held throughout the month reaching out to more than 200,000 people.

Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean said everyone should make small lifestyle adjustments to make a big difference to Singapore's efforts in saving water.

Speaking at the Marina Barrage which saw some 10,000 people taking part in various activities, he stressed that immediate steps must be taken to cut down on non-essential water usage.

Also spreading the message to save water was Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who addressed some 3,000 people at Jurong Lake.

Mr Tharman said: "I didn't know that if you reduce your shower time by one minute, it will save nine litres of water. I'm told that amongst many of our younger generation, they just leave their shower on while they are soaping themselves. So turn the shower off when it's not necessary."

Mr Teo also had his own conservation tip to share: "Use water from a mug instead of a running tap while brushing your teeth. Wash clothes on a full load or re-use rinse water from the washing machine for flushing. When added up, these savings will help stretch out water resources further."

Also spreading the message of water conservation was Law Minister K Shanmugam at Yishun Pond and Acting Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-Jin in Geylang Serai.

Geyland Serai residents were asked to bring two consecutive utility bills between September 2013 and March 2014. The first 200 residents who reduced usage by at least S$2 get a S$5 NTUC voucher.

Minister of State for Trade and Industry Teo Ser Luck also stressed the importance of saving water to residents at Punggol Waterway.

- CNA/ac

Everyone has a part to play in water conservation: Tharman
Chitra Kumar Channel NewsAsia 15 Mar 14;

SINGAPORE: With the prolonged dry spell and rise in daily water demand, it is important to make adjustments like cutting down on non-essential water usage -- Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam said this on Saturday at one of the five fringe activities celebrating World Water Day in Singapore.

Mr Tharman said it is also important to ensure stable water supply, but emphasised that everyone must make a determined effort to conserve water.

He added: "PUB is increasing the use of NEWater and desalinated water because there is less local water catchment. These two taps don't depend so much on the weather. So even during a dry spell, we have NEWater and desalinated water.

"But to make NEWater and desalinated water, we need energy. And, fuel is needed, electricity has to be generated. So we can't over-depend on NEWater and desalinated water in the long run."

To mark World Water Day, residents took part in a two-kilometre mass walk.

The "I am a Young Water Ambassador" card was also launched for primary schools. Students will be rewarded with a badge after they complete a series of water-related activities.

A water droplet display created using used plastic bottles was put together by the Taman Jurong T-Net club and four schools -- Bukit View Secondary, Fuhua Primary, Swiss Cottage Secondary and Westwood Secondary. The aim is to reduce the consumption of bottled water.

Second Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Grace Fu, who was also at the event, said: "We are always gearing up our alternative supplies. As you know, we have been increasing our injection of NEWater into our reservoir just to keep our reservoir level at a certain (level). But we also like to urge the various users to start thinking about how they can play their part.

"For example, we are asking the industry users to help us step up on water saving and even the town councils have started to do their part. We have written to all the town councils to urge them to start thinking about reducing water usage.

"Also to all the Singaporeans out there... we will have to think about how we can reduce excessive use (of water), anything that can help us minimise waste, stretch the resource longer and benefit more people."

- CNA/ac


Save water' drive to target 200,000 people
David Ee The Straits Times AsiaOne 16 Mar 14;

Singapore's World Water Day activities will have greater significance than usual when they take place tomorrow, as the country's unprecedented dry spell continues.

Organisers are targeting a record 200,000 people, compared with about 35,000 last year, as they try to drive home the message of saving water.

"We should not be complacent," said national water agency PUB's chief executive Chew Men Leong on Thursday as he chaired a media briefing for the annual event.

Noting that 2014 might be an El Nino year that could extend the dry weather beyond this month, he added: "We need to prepare ourselves for a continuation of the dry spell... It's critical that all of us play a part to conserve and save water."

Though World Water Day is on March 22, Singapore is marking it a week earlier to avoid the school holiday week.

For the first time, PUB has contacted all 87 constituencies and 890 schools to ask for their help in spreading the water conservation message. More than 200 businesses, schools, societies, grassroots groups, government agencies and even religious groups will take part in the various activities.

Geylang Serai constituency is offering incentives. It will reward the first 200 of its households who cut their water bill by $2 - equivalent to 1,000 litres - in consecutive months with a $5 FairPrice voucher.

Meanwhile, Haig Road Market and Food Centre hawkers took part in a water-saving contest that saved more than 17,000 litres, with the winner taking home a PUB hamper.

Pre-school children in kindergartens are being taught habits such as turning off the shower while soaping. Water saving messages will be included in sermons at all 69 mosques today.

Tomorrow, Cabinet ministers and MPs will join 17,500 people at Marina Barrage, Jurong Lake, Geylang River, Punggol Waterway and Yishun Pond for various activities such as mass walks and cycling.

Water usage has hovered between 4 per cent and 5 per cent above average "for the past couple of weeks", said Mr Chew.

He would not be drawn on what options PUB is considering if the trend continues, adding that the nation's water situation is still "reasonably secure".

Last month was the country's driest in 145 years. Singapore's desalination and Newater plants have been running at near-full capacity for a month, producing about 55 per cent of the nation's water. PUB has been pumping Newater into reservoirs since January to keep water levels up.

"How long we're able to last depends on how well we can stretch our water resources and that's exactly why we need to... get everybody to save water," said Mr Chew.

The PUB is also still mulling over holding water rationing exercises as a "good idea" to educate the public, he added.

"Everybody understands that we are in an unprecedented situation," he said, urging people to save water and cut non-essential use.

"We will see how people respond. If (they) see the urgency... if they start taking action today, tomorrow, I think we can start seeing effects. It really depends on everybody playing their part."