MINISTRY OF THE ENVIRONMENT

Water Pollution Control

Large areas of land are used as water catchments. We must not allow any development to pollute our water resources. Over the next five years, we will extend sewerage and drainage systems at a cost of $820 million to serve new developments in water catchments and other areas.

The programme to clean up Singapore River, Kallang Basin and all water catchments has been approved and is being implemented.

Approximately 250,000 pigs will be phased out in all water catchments and other areas by December 1983. All remaining pig farms will be provided with proper pig waste treatment facilities.

Over the next few years, we will resite the remaining 3,500 street hawkers into markets and food centres where pollution can be controlled.

Some 10,000 rundown premises without proper sanitation in the Singapore River/Kallang Basin will be redeveloped.

Lighters and other boats operating in the Singapore River, Kallang Basin and Telok Ayer Basin will be relocated to Pasir Panjang by 1984.

Air Pollution Control

Over the last 10 years, we have brought under control the emissions from factories. However, motor vehicles are still a major source of air pollution especially in the urban areas. The Registry of Vehicles will soon periodically check petrol-driven vehicles for their emissions and roadworthiness, as is currently being done with diesel vehicles. It will set emission standards for new vehicles. It will also study the feasibility of using liquified petroleum gas (LPG) in taxis and buses to reduce smoke pollution.

With the construction of the petro-chemical complex, more chemical and petro-chemical industries will be set up. We may amend our existing legislation to control environmental pollution problems posed by such industries. We will send more engineers abroad for practical training to cope with these new problems.

Productivity and Energy Conservation

We use a lot of fuel and manpower to collect refuse, sweep roads and operate our sewage treatment plants. It will become more difficult to recruit workers. Over the next few years, the Ministry will direct its attention to energy conservation and improving productivity as it expands the services.

A computer has been installed to assist management in the better maintenance of refuse collection and road sweeping vehicles. We will further improve the productivity of our refuse collection operations by using computers to optimise route and load distribution of our refuse vehicles.

We may introduce refuse collection and street cleaning in the central business areas at night to improve refuse collection efficiency and avoid traffic congestion.

We will further automate sewage pumping stations and sewage treatment works to reduce operating costs and manpower.

The digestion of sludge at sewage treatment works produces methane gas which partly supplies the energy requirements of the works. We will maximise the production of methane gas through better control of the sludge digestion plants.

We will continue to educate the public against mosquito breeding. Priority will be given to repair damaged or sunken drains which are a common source of mosquito breeding. This will reduce the need to oil drains and save costs on anti-mosquito oil.

ONG PANG BOON Minister for the Environment