REPORT ON WATER SITUATION (Statement by the Prime Minister)

2.42 p.m.

The Prime Minister: Sir, I had promised earlier that I would try to review the water position as soon as it could be reconsidered and the question of rationing. I would like to give the House an interim report on the present water situation.

The rainfall this year up to the end of November was only 60.09 inches as against the average over the last 86 years for the same months of January to November of 85.24 inches. In other words, we are already short by 25 inches this year. Even if we get average rainfall in December, we shall be far short of the average rainfall which, over 86 years, has been 95.7 inches per year.

I have here, Sir, the table of comparative monthly rainfall* in inches - the average as against the months January to November 1961 - and I will table this for the information of Members.

• Appendix I, Cols. 1737-8. RAINFALL(Cols 1737-1738)

The levels and capacity of all reservoirs at present are 58 per cent below normal. The total capacity of all our reservoirs both in Singapore and Johore is 5,900,400,000 gallons as against the present quantity of only 2,498,600,000 gallons, giving a shortage of 3,401,800,000 gallons.

The details of the levels and capacities of our reservoirs as on 3rd December, 1961, are as follows - I shall only read the grand total figures. I shall table the details+, Mr Speaker, Sir. Normal Capacity Present Quantity Shortage Capacity Name of Reservoir million gallons million gallons million gallons MacRitchie ... 1,038 467 570 Pierce ... 923 597 325 Seletar ... 150 34 116 Gunong Pulai ... 1,220 415 805 Pontian ... 2,525 967 1,557 Kulai I ... 44 16.9 27 ------- -------- ------- Grand Total 5,900 2,498 3,401 ------- -------- -------

• Appendix II, Cols. 1739-40. DETAILED LEVELS AND CAPACITIES OF RESERVOIRS AS ON 3RD DECEMBER, 1961(Cols 1739-1740)

In other words, the present stocks are only 42 per cent of the full capacity.

The normal consumption of water in Singapore, which includes Johore Bahru, Sir, which we supply, is approximately 70 million gallons per day, of which about 40 million gallons come from the Tebrau River, and does not directly affect our stocks, whilst 30 million gallons is drawn directly from reservoirs either in Singapore or Johore.

With inadequate rainfall this year, the rate of withdrawal from our stocks has created a deteriorating situation in which it has been necessary to impose rationing in order to conserve the balance of water stocks as best we can. By the rationing, we have been able to reduce from 30 million gallons per day to 20 million gallons per day, the amount we draw from the reservoirs.

Every year over the rainy months of November, December, and January, the reservoirs are normally filled up to total capacity. Well, November is now past, Sir, and I may just read the November figures - November, normally 9.89 inches, but this year it was only 8.65; 1.24 inches short. But it is our expectation that over the months of December and January, the shortage of 3,400 million gallons will be made up.

I have been advised that it would be imprudent to lift rationing altogether until we are quite sure that the Northeast monsoon for December and January will be wet, not only in North Malaya but also over South Johore and Singapore. As soon as indications are that the monsoon is wet and there is a fair expectation that the reservoirs will be filled up by the end of the monsoon period of January, water rationing will be lifted.

Mr Bani: Sir, in view of the public concern and talk about this matter, which I am sure is quite unpleasant to the Government, would the Prime Minister clarify whether the political pressure in Singapore has anything to do with the variation in water pressure?

Mr Speaker: That is completely out of order. Let us not have frivolities but serious statements.

The Prime Minister: Sir, -

Mr Speaker: I have ruled that question out of order.

The Prime Minister: You have ruled it out of order, but if I may, Mr Speaker, Sir, you are fully aware that the question having been asked, I cannot hide behind the Speaker's ruling publicly.

Mr Speaker: Very briefly then.

The Prime Minister: Very briefly, Sir. The fact that the Communists should find that not only the nationalists but also the gods are against them is not something for which they can blame the P.A.P. But I can assure the Member for Thomson - whose friend, Dominic Puthucheary, tells me that he often misses his bath as a result of the water rationing - that it is not because of the Tunku or because of the P.A.P. that he had been somewhat more stuffy than usual when I saw him in the C.P.A. Room.

Mr A. P. Rajah (Farrer Park): Sir, am I right in assuming from the Prime Minister's statement that the earliest day on which we can expect water rationing to be lifted is sometime in February 1962?

The Prime Minister: Sir, I do not think that is the impression I want to create. I would have liked, as I have indicated earlier, to be able in the course of the debate to say that stocks are so improving that, we could lift water rationing immediately. But unfortunately November, which is normally a wet month giving 9.89 inches, has again this year been short by 1.24 inches. And if December and January again are short of the normal in this same way, I have been told that it would be most inadvisable to lift the rationing. But if in the course of December it is quite clear that we are going to have a wet December and a wet January, we might lift it by the end of December.

Mr Lin You Eng (Moulmein): (In Mandarin): Just now we had an explanation by the Prime Minister of the water position. If there is plenty of rainfall and if there would not be any water next year -

Mr Speaker: Order. I did not quite get that. I have not heard that at all. Perhaps the Prime Minister would assist by saying what the question was.

The Prime Minister: I do not mean anything offensive if I say that it is just the Member's Hainanese accent which I find difficult to follow and which some of the Barisan Members also find difficult. Perhaps he could ask the question again slowly and I will try to follow, Sir.

Mr Speaker: Will the Member please remember that this is a supplementary question - it must be a supplementary question - and no comments should be made which will raise a debate. It should be a serious question. Otherwise he will be ruled out of order. Mr Lin.

Mr Lin You Eng: (In Mandarin): I have one doubt here. If there is plenty of water at present but if next year there should not be any water, then we would have water rationing throughout the year then.

The Prime Minister: I beg to reply in Mandarin to the Member for Moulmein.

(In Mandarin): The question was not if there was no water next year. The question was that at present the reservoirs are short of water by some 58 per cent. With this shortage of 58 per cent, we must try to cover not by way of buying water but by the weather. If unfortunately the Russians should explode more nuclear bombs, then under such abnormal circumstances we would not have sufficient rain for December and January next year. We just could not help it. But if the Member for Moulmein has any suggestion to make at that time as to how we could get sufficient water for the people or to make water for the people, such as to make use of dry ice or to have artificial rain, then I shall be very grateful for his assistance.