WATER RESOURCES IN SINGAPORE (Enhancement)

Mr Low Thia Khiang asked the Minister for Trade and Industry what measures the Government has taken since 1990 in identifying and planning the enhancement of water resources in Singapore.

The Minister for Trade and Industry (Mr Yeo Cheow Tong): Sir, I had explained to the House during the Committee of Supply debate in March this year the various efforts to develop new and alternative sources of water to meet our future needs. Perhaps the Member for Hougang was absent at that session.

As I had pointed out to Members, if our water consumption continues to increase at 6% per annum, we will run short of water in six years' time, ie, in the year 2001. However, even if we succeed in halving the increase in water consumption to 3% per annum, we will only be able to delay this to the year 2011 when our 1961 Water Agreement with the Malaysians expires. This is why it is so crucial that we succeed in getting every Singaporean to use water carefully and to minimise water wastage.

With regard to our local water resources, the Public Utilities Board's policy is to conserve and develop them to the maximum. The constraint here is land. Already, 50% of the land area of Singapore is used as water catchment areas. PUB has studied and implemented all feasible schemes to exploit local water sources. For instance, it has built storm water collection schemes in developed areas like Ang Mo Kio, Bedok, Tampines and Yishun. Rain water is also collected from the developed areas in Kranji, Pandan and the non-industrial areas in western Singapore.

PUB has also considered creating additional reservoirs, for example, by damming up the sea between Pulau Ubin and the mainland. However, the problem is lack of a suitable catchment area to collect rainfall to fill the reservoir.

To cut down on potable water requirements, there is an on-going effort by PUB to encourage the use of industrial water and sea water for non-potable purposes. Today, industries use about 7 million gallons of industrial water a day for cooling and washing. This represents about 3% of our daily potable water consumption. I have asked PUB to explore with the Ministry of the Environment the wider use of industrial water. Where feasible, we also encourage the use of sea water. Three of our power stations, three oil refineries and several other industrial and commercial organisations are already using sea water for cooling purposes.

Besides conventional sources of water, PUB is also studying the feasibility of desalination. As I had explained in March, desalinated water will cost 7-8 times more than the current cost of treated water. When we will need to resort to using this expensive water will depend very much on how well Singaporeans control their water consumption. Nonetheless, we have to make the preparations now.

Officers of the PUB, my Ministry and the Ministry of National Development will be visiting some countries that are already operating large-scale desalination plants to learn from their experience.

Mr Low Thia Khiang (Hougang): Sir, when did the Government discover that the current water supply will not be able to meet the demand of Singapore's consumption?

Mr Yeo Cheow Tong: Sir, the PUB constantly monitors the usage of water and that is why it has been able to implement various schemes that will come in place and be operational when the water consumption is needed. That is why we have also finalised and built the Linggiu Dam in Johor which enables us to supply the 250 million gallons of water a day that we are entitled to under our agreement with Malaysia. Similarly, we are now discussing with the Indonesians on the development of Bintan water resources as well as water resources on the mainland of Sumatra.

Mr Low Thia Khiang: Sir, my question is: when did the PUB discover that the current water resources or whatever on-going efforts will not be able to meet the future demands of Singapore? When did the PUB discover that and thereby decided to impose the water conservation tax?

Mr Yeo Cheow Tong: Sir, this is not something which just appears from the blue. As I said, PUB monitors and projects water consumption all the time. That is why we have all these water schemes coming in place on a planned basis. However, under the agreement with Malaysia, we are entitled to only a certain amount of water. Based on our projection, with the first agreement expiring in the year 2011, if we can get Singaporeans to reduce the usage of water to 3% a year, we will be able to have enough water until the expiry of the first agreement.

What we have to do now is to plan what will happen after that. As I have pointed out, one alternative is desalination and this is something which has been under study for a long time. We are now sending people to visit countries with operating systems so that we can have the desalination system in place when the water supply is needed. The realisation is not something that has just appeared. It is something that we have been tracking all the time and we feel that it is now timely for us to highlight to Singaporeans that we have to reduce to 3% a year in terms of our water consumption increase.

Mr Low Thia Khiang: The Minister said that PUB has been constantly tracking the consumption pattern and projecting the supply for Singapore. The Minister has also said that in the past the Government has taken various measures. What I would like to know is: since 1990, what are the detailed efforts and measures that have been specifically made before the PUB decided that there was no way out except to impose a water conservation tax?

Mr Yeo Cheow Tong: Sir, the Member obviously does not quite understand what I have been telling him. The planning process is an on-going one. Why does he think that Singaporeans have never had the problem and trauma of having water shortage? It is because PUB has been monitoring and planning all the time.

In terms of highlighting to Singaporeans the need to conserve water, that again is a message which comes out from the PUB regularly. In terms of ensuring that there is adequate supply, that again is something which PUB plans for. Why does he think all the new towns in the eastern part of Singapore have had the storm water collection systems in place. They were not put in place overnight. They were the result of many years of planning and many years of construction of the system. So it is not that we only started doing things in 1990. All the water development programmes have been on-going for many, many years already.

Mr Low Thia Khiang: Sir, I am not saying that the Government is doing whatever planning for collecting more water now. What I am saying is that since the Government has imposed a water conservation tax as a measure, does it mean that the Ministry concerned has actually exhausted all the measures and efforts in trying to enhance the water resources in Singapore?

Mr Yeo Cheow Tong: Sir, as I have explained just now, all the feasible systems for collecting water in Singapore have already been explored and are already in place. Now we have to get Singaporeans to reduce water consumption. The campaign on the water conservation programme would be one way. However, as our past experience has shown, the price of water is also a very important factor, because that drives home the importance of water. In any case, once we go to desalinated water, which is inevitable, either in the year 2001 if we do not reduce our water consumption rate, or if we are able to halve it, in the year 2011, that will incur a tremendous increase in the price of water. So either way, the price of water will increase. It is better that we get Singaporeans to realise that water is precious and important and the water conservation tax in many ways drives home that importance today, rather than deferring it to the year 2011 or 2001.

Mr Chiam See Tong (Potong Pasir): Sir, the Minister says that the message of water conservation has been put across to the people of Singapore regularly. Other than the increase in the water conservation tax, can the Minister tell this House what other measures and campaigns the Government has embarked on to ask the people to conserve water since this matter was discussed in the Budget session?

Mr Yeo Cheow Tong: Sir, when this issue was brought up in the Budget debate, I had explained at that time to Members that the PUB would be embarking on a major water conservation campaign this year. This month long campaign will be launched on the last Saturday of June this year.