Channel NewsAsia 23 Jan 15;
SINGAPORE: February of 2014 was Singapore's driest month in 145 years. With this year's dry spell taking place earlier, the Government will need to carefully plan public education efforts on the possible implications of droughts, said Environment and Water Resources Minister Vivian Balakrishnan. He made this point in a discussion with Government officers and the public, on water issues on Friday (Jan 23).
"We need to very carefully, plan public education, so that people know the facts, and know what could happen, and maybe even more important than just doing a water rationing exercise, maybe we need to start planning the scenarios, so after one month of drought, what's going to happen, after two months, what's going to happen, after three months, and maybe we'd start having that serious scenario planning, contingency exercises," he said.
"Then in schools, even the students can start to look at, calculate the figures, and even for businesses in Singapore, so that you don't get shocked and don't get surprised if and when a crisis erupts."
Dr Balakrishnan said this would also be one of the key elements in his ministry's Budget speech. Thus, there is a need to look into water conservation measures, in case of another dry spell.
Participants at the discussion touched the value of having water rationing exercises. "From the industry's point of view, there will be a lot of shut down, and inconvenience and even probably loss of business," said Director of Tiong Seng Contractors Andrew Khng. "But the thing is that we have a population to take care of, so basically, if we are mindful of such a natural calamity, then of course, we have to really think about how we make use of or optimise our water in the long run."
Mr Wilson Ang, Founder and President of ECO Singapore said: "We've been so good at making sure that water is enough for us and it's not so expensive, not so costly, that we take it for granted." He added that a water rationing exercises could help neighbours bond.
From now to mid February, five more sessions will be held to gather feedback from the public, community leaders, businesses and non-governmental organisations. The ministry is expecting 300 participants over the six sessions. It will take into account their views in its speech for the Committee of Supply debate, which will take place in March. During the session, the Singapore Parliament will discuss the estimated budgets of the Ministries and their plans for the financial year.
- CNA/ly
Firms may need better incentives to recycle water: Dr Balakrishnan
JOY FANG Today Online 24 Jan 15;
SINGAPORE — With good-quality water in Singapore priced relatively low, there is little incentive for businesses to revamp their mode of operations to save and reuse water, especially if they have already spent large sums on their current machines, said Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan. Some form of regulation in the recycling of water for businesses may be needed, he added.
Speaking yesterday in the first of six pre-Committee of Supply consultation sessions on water conservation, the minister was responding to an audience member who suggested legislating the recycling of water in certain industries for new factories.
Yesterday’s session involved 23 members of Water Network, an advisory group comprising water-related companies, non-governmental organisations and public agencies.
Dr Balakrishnan said the suggestion to have some form of regulation was something that would have to be considered carefully. Incremental efforts are already under way, such as the recently introduced Water Efficiency Management Plan for the non-domestic sector, which requires high water users to install private water meters within the premises to monitor consumption.
“The problem is that even though we price it at what we believe is the correct price, it still works out to a very small number. And that’s why for most companies, water is not your main focus because it’s a small fraction of your total cost of doing business,” he said. “And therefore, businesses are not sufficiently incentivised.”
Water agency PUB said water consumption is expected to almost double in 2060, with the non-domestic sector taking up 70 per cent of the pie. Still, such regulations would need to be accompanied by support and incentives, noted Dr Balakrishnan.
Micron Semiconductor Asia managing director Lee Kok Choy said a strong helping hand, such as subsidies, from the Government is needed to make it more doable for high water usage businesses here to recycle water.
Yesterday’s discussion came in the wake of Singapore’s record 27-day dry spell early last year.
Dr Balakrishnan said in 2002, Singapore had no recycling or desalination facilities. In only 12 years, those plants now meet 55 per cent of demand. If the country did not have these plants during the dry spell, the situation may have been quite different. But Singaporeans have “almost taken it for granted that we have water security”, he added.
Yesterday, members called for more drastic measures to drive the conservation message, such as implementing dry spell surcharges.
Dr Balakrishnan has already hinted that a water-rationing exercise could be on the cards this year.
However, Professor Peter Ng, head of Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, said starting with water rationing in households would only create an unnecessary backlash. Such exercises should start, and perhaps work best, in institutions such as schools and army camps, where the message can be driven home without causing as much inconvenience to people.
For households, the authorities can minimise the pinch by reducing water pressure to some degree for a short time as part of the exercise, he added.
Dry spell ahead may see water rationing
Industry players tap ways of conserving water in coming weeks
AUDREY TAN Straits Times 24 Jan 15;
Water rationing could be one way for Singapore to deal with a predicted dry spell over the coming weeks.
Government agencies, environmental groups and representatives from the water industry yesterday held a discussion, chaired by Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan, in which they examined how the nation can do more to conserve and appreciate the resource.
The National Environment Agency (NEA) on Thursday said total rainfall for this month and the next is expected to be below average, due to the early onset of the dry phase of the north-east monsoon.
Such weather events could increase in frequency and intensity as a probable consequence of global warming, said research scientist Erik Velasco of the Centre for Environmental Sensing and Modeling at the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology.
To help tide the country over the upcoming dry phase, participants discussed ways to save water, including increased outreach and public education and more government incentives to help businesses adopt water-saving technology.
The participants - from the public sector, water-related businesses and green groups - were taking part in the first of six Pre-Committee of Supply (COS) consultation sessions organised by the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources.
Other sessions, covering topics such as smoking and dengue, will be held until the middle of next month to seek feedback before the COS debate for the ministry, which is expected to be in the second week of March.
Dr Balakrishnan told participants: "If in 2014 we did not have the desalination and recycling plants, which were working at practically full steam during the dry spell, what do you think would have happened early last year?
"The truth is, we wouldn't be talking about a water rationing exercise - it would have been a very real prospect."
Last year Singapore experienced a record-breaking dry spell that lasted from mid-January to mid-March. Last February was the country's driest month in 145 years.
"Because (national water agency) PUB, in 12 years, managed to ramp up the (water) supply... we have almost taken it for granted that we have water security," Dr Balakrishnan said.
He was responding to concerns raised by the participants about the possibility of public backlash, should water rationing be implemented.
The immediate past president of the Singapore Contractors Association, Mr Andrew Khng, said: "After hearing from the minister... we probably need to seriously look at (water rationing) and get ourselves ready.
"Because if this dry spell is prolonged, it is not just the individual contractors who will face issues, the whole industry will be affected."
Although the NEA had said the upcoming dry period is not likely to be as bad as last year's drought, experts have warned that the haze could come earlier this year, if the dry weather in Malaysia should trigger wildfires there and winds bring the smoke to Singapore.
Assistant Professor Winston Chow of the National University of Singapore's geography department said: "Lower air quality arising from the haze might occur during the forecast dry period if other non-weather factors come into play, such as more wildfires from Peninsular Malaysia resulting in the winds transporting the smoke over."
Dr Velasco agreed, saying: "The dry spell last year had triggered wildfires in Malaysia and produced moderate smoke- haze episodes in Singapore."
They added, however, that Singapore is unlikely to be affected by the haze from Sumatra that occurs usually in June, as the predominant wind direction would keep it away.
