Impressed by the beautiful views of ice in Iceland, Greenland and Alaska in the last post, this week let’s fly from the polar region to the red dot on the equator - Garden City Singapore.
As many of you may wonder and cannot help asking, where does all the water come from on this little island in South East Asia? Sustainable water supply in Singapore mainly has four resources, also known as the Four National Taps, namely:
(1) Water from local catchment
(3) NEWater (high-grade reclaimed water)
(4) Desalinated water
Figure 7.1: Four National Taps in Singapore
Figure 7.2: Four National Taps in Singapore - Local catchment reservoirs
Figure 7.3: Four National Taps in Singapore - Imported water from Malaysia
Figure 7.4: Four National Taps in Singapore - Desalinated Water at Tuaspring Desalination Plant
Figure 7.5: Blog author conducting Environmental Monitoring and Management Programme (EMMP) at Tuaspring Desalination Plant in 2014
Reading through the water story of Singapore, it is not hard to find this city-state has put much effort on maintaining her water resources, especially for wastewater and stormwater, with the world-leading water treatment technology named NEWater and ABC Water technology respectively. This post will concentrate on the NEWater technology to explore and have a better comprehension of how Singapore manages the sustainable water supply and meets the whole nation’s demand.
What is Wastewater?
Wastewater is defined as “used water from any combination of domestic, industrial, commercial or agricultural activities, surface runoff or stormwater, and any sewer inflow or sewer infiltration" by Tilley et al (2014). Wastewater negatively impacts our environment and ecosystem as contains a large quantity of physical, chemical and biological pollutants at different concentration levels. It can be characterised by various sources such as domestic wastewater from households, municipal wastewater or sewage from communities, or industrial wastewater from industrial activities.
Wastewater and NEWater Technology
NEWater: A Singapore Success Story
Located in the tropics, Singapore witnesses hot summer all year round. NEWater is a weather-resilient water source that cushions Singapore’s water supply against dry weather. Awarded with Stockholm Industry Water Award, Environmental Contribution of the Year at the Global Water Awards and many others, NEWater technology was given birth by Singapore’s Water Agency - Public Utilities Board (PUB) and Ministry of Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) in 1998, and the first NEWater plant was completed in May 2000. This ultra clean and high-grade reclaimed water originally from wastewater had been made fun of as ‘toilet water’ by local people and had been doubted by the public for its cleanness, hygiene and potability for quite a long time. In order to reassure the citizens’ concern of NEWater safety, in 2002, then-Prime Minister of Singapore Goh Chok Tong drank and endorsed NEWater bottles that had undergone Stringent Purification and Treatment using Advanced Dual Membrane and Ultraviolet Technologies.
Figure 7.6: NEWater bottles
Figure 7.7: NEWater technology processes
How does NEWater taste like?
As PUB Friend of Water, I have volunteered in various water-featured events and was offered bottles of NEWater to drink every time. It tasted just the same as normal drinking water!
Unplanned Indirect Potable Use
This happens when an upstream water user discharges used water into a lake, river or aquifer that serves as a water supply source for a downstream water user. Such water usage exists in cities along the Rhine and Thames rivers in Europe, Mississippi River in the US, Yangtze River in China, and Mekong River in Indo-China.
Planned Indirect Potable Use
‘Planned’ indicates intentional abstraction, treatment, and distribution of water for drinking purposes from a lake, river or aquifer, being partially used water discharge system. This is commonly seen in water scare growing cities including many in the U.S.
Engaging the Public with Water Sustainability
Singapore government organises a great range of activities and events to engage the public with water sustainability which allows both individuals and families, both the young and the elderly to get involved. This strengthens the public awareness on our sustainable water supply. I myself have participated in quite a few water-related volunteering events and campaigns, including Singapore International Water Week (SIWW), Keep Singapore Beautiful Movement (KSBM), etc.
From my personal experiences back to Singapore, not only I but also water experts and other student volunteers have been able to share the water knowledge we have acquired in class or at work with other residents during such activities; in the meanwhile, it is also an amazing way to hear the voice from the locals and understand how they feel about the sustainability of the water resources we rely on. Hence, I strongly believe other countries around the world could learn from Singapore and call for the entire community's contributions!
Figure 7.8: Volunteering at Singapore International Water Week (SIWW) 2014 at Marina Barrage Water Trail
Hey, Crystal! Nice and formative post about Singapore's wastewater treatment! Looking forward to more future posts on water resources!
ReplyDeleteHey Nele! Thanks I will continue exploring more about water sustainability! Hope you find it helpful for your agriculture posts!
DeleteHello Crystal! It's really impressive that there is such amazing technology transferring waste water into clean one! I wonder what do you think are the hinders preventing other nations to adopt same method of wastewater treatment?
ReplyDeleteHi Kundi! Before considering if the success in Singapore wastewater management would apply to other countries, I feel each single nation has different water situations and so it is pretty much case-by-case. Singapore is quite small in terms of its national territory area and thus it is comparatively easier to manage wastewater, while it might be much harder for other nations. And we also need to track the original source of wastewater. Singapore is right next to the equator and a large amount of our water supply comes from rainwater stored in our local catchment reservoirs. However, wastewater origins in other countries may not be from rainwater and the chemical components would vary, further affecting the treatment processes. But Singapore’s wastewater treatment method has been borrowed and applied by quite a few countries in the world, and so I do have confidence in it!:)
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