PULAU UBIN AND PULAU TEKONG (Provision of water and electricity)

Mr Teo Chong Tee asked the Minister for National Development and Communications what steps have been taken to provide the islanders in Pulau Ubin and Pulau Tekong with water and electricity.

The Minister for National Development and Communications (Mr Lim Kim San): Mr Speaker, Sir, the Public Utilities Board has started work on what is known as the Pulau Tekong Reservoir Scheme. This calls for the construction of an impounding reservoir with a storage capacity of 1.4 million cubic metres and a water treatment plant of 6,800 cubic metres/day capacity on the island. When this $6.23 million project is completed in 1979, piped water supply will be available on the island.

The Public Utilities Board undertook a survey which shows that providing piped water to Pulau Ubin would be uneconomical. It would also be uneconomical to provide island-wide electricity to both Pulau Ubin and Pulau Tekong as the houses on these islands are scattered and the expected demand too low to justify the cost of installation of electrical distribution equipment. The Urban and Rural Services Committee concurred with these findings and informed the Board that no action need be taken until more information on the development of these islands is available.