Channel NewsAsia 16 Jan 18;
SINGAPORE: Ministers and officials from both sides of the Causeway are working closely to ensure sufficient water supply from the Johor River for Malaysia and Singapore, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Tuesday (Jan 16).
Speaking at a joint press conference with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak for the eighth Singapore-Malaysia Leaders’ Retreat, Mr Lee said that as Iskandar Malaysia and Johor grow, water demand will increase.
To this end, Mr Lee said the countries must implement further schemes to increase the yield of the river and the resilience of Linggiu Reservoir.
These schemes include conducting a joint hydrometric modelling study of Johor River to examine measures to conserve Linggiu Reservoir stock, he added.
Mr Lee said while Linggiu Reservoir has gradually filled up over the last year from good rainfall, and with a barrage at Kota Tinggi, “we do not know when the next prolonged dry spell will hit”. The reservoir was in the spotlight in 2016, when water levels there dropped to a historic low of 20 per cent in October that year.
Mr Najib also said on Tuesday that the management of water is "very critical not only for Singapore but also Johor".
"The demand for water in Johor will increase very very significantly, exponentially, because of Iskandar and because of rapid development in both Johor and Singapore," he said.
Echoing Mr Lee's comments, Mr Najib said: "We will commission a more detailed hydrometric study to come up with some technical proposals which we are confident will be able to increase the water supply for both Singapore and for Johor."
The leaders reaffirmed the importance of undertaking the necessary measures to ensure reliable and adequate water supply from the Johor River as provided for in the 1962 Water Agreement.
The water level at Linggiu Reservoir directly affects the amount of water Singapore can draw from the Johor River. Under the 1962 agreement which lasts until 2061, Singapore has full and exclusive right to draw up to 250 million gallons of water daily from the Johor River at the price of 3 sen per 1,000 gallons.
Source: CNA/kk/dl
Hydrometric modelling study in the works to raise yield of Johor River: PM Lee, Najib
KENNETH CHENG Today Online 17 Jan 18;
SINGAPORE — Singapore and Malaysia will carry out a hydrometric modelling study of the Johor River, with the aim of increasing its yield and conserving supply in the Linggiu Reservoir.
The Linggiu Reservoir discharges water into the Johor River to supplement its flow, and allows Singapore to reliably draw water from the Malaysian city.
To ease traffic congestion at the Causeway, the two countries are also exploring a review of the tolls at the Second Link to make it more attractive to users, at Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's suggestion.
These were among the matters discussed between Mr Lee and his Malaysian counterpart Najib Razak, who is in Singapore to attend the eighth Singapore-Malaysia Leaders' Retreat.
Mr Lee noted that water demand in Johor will increase as the Iskandar Malaysia development and Johor grow.
"Although Linggiu Reservoir has gradually filled up over the last year, with good rainfall, and with a barrage at Kota Tinggi, we do not know when the next prolonged dry spell will hit," he said at a media conference with Mr Najib on Tuesday (Jan 16). "So we must implement further schemes to increase the yield of the river and the resilience of Linggiu Reservoir."
The Linggiu Reservoir is currently 63 per cent full, a spokesperson from Singapore's Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) told TODAY.
"Good" rainfall and the newly-commissioned Johor River Barrage, which began operations in August 2016, helped the Linggiu Reservoir stock to recover from a historic low of 20 per cent in October 2016 to its current level, he said.
"This has taken over a year and it will take continued good rainfall over time for the Linggiu Reservoir stock to reach healthy levels," said the spokesperson.
Hydrometric studies capture in-depth data such as water quality and flow patterns. These are then used for better planning and design of water resource projects, including reservoirs, distribution systems and irrigation networks.
Water supply, said Mr Najib, is just as critical for Johor, where water demand will rise exponentially because of rapid development and the Iskandar Malaysia project.
"There's a need for us to look into it and we'll commission a more detailed hydrometric study and come up with some technical proposals, which we are confident will increase the water supply both for Singapore and for Johor," he said.
The outcomes and recommendations of the study, which is funded by Malaysia, will be presented to a technical committee of Malaysia's Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water and Singapore's MEWR, the two Prime Ministers said in a statement later in the day.
On the congestion at the Causeway, Mr Najib noted that there are more than 300,000 crossings every day between Singapore and Johor. Congestion is particularly serious during peak hours, school holidays and festive occasions, with the wait dragging out for three or four hours at times.
There is a need for the two countries to find ways to achieve "more seamless connectivity", said the Malaysian premier.
Other topics the two Prime Ministers discussed include the challenges relating to the management of and flow of ships into both the Pasir Gudang and Tanjung Langsat ports in Johor, said Mr Najib, although he did not elaborate.
Mr Najib also put on record Malaysia's full support for Singapore as the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations this year. Singapore's focus on the digital economy is one area in which the two countries can team up on, to promote e-commerce and e-payments, and develop Singapore and Kuala Lumpur as "smart cities", he added.
Pleased with the state of co-operation and ties between the two countries, the two leaders said the next retreat will be held in Malaysia at the end of the year.
"I am excited about the possibilities in the near future," Mr Najib said. "We look forward to receiving (Mr Lee in Malaysia) at the end of this year, provided we get the right results (at the Malaysian General Elections)."
