Water supply and sanitation in Singapore

Singapore: Water and Sanitation
The flag of Singapore
Data
Access to an improved water source 100%[1]
Access to improved sanitation 100%[1]
Continuity of supply (%) 100[1]
Average urban water use (liter/capita/day) 148 (2016)[2][3]
Average urban domestic water and sewer tariff per m3 US$2.00 (S$2.74, 2023, for a consumption of 10m3 per month)[4]
Share of household metering 100%
Annual investment in water supply and sanitation US$609 million (2010), or $117/capita/year[5]
Financing Self-financing through retained earnings, debt financing through bonds and project finance for desalination
Institutions
Decentralization No
National water and sanitation company Public Utilities Board (PUB)
Water and sanitation regulator Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment
Responsibility for policy setting Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment
Sector law
Number of urban service providers 1

Water supply and sanitation in Singapore are intricately linked to the historical development of Singapore. It is characterised by a number of outstanding achievements in a challenging environment with geographical limitations. Access to water in Singapore is universal, affordable, efficient and of high quality.[6]

Innovative hydraulic engineering and integrated water management approaches such as the reuse of reclaimed water, the establishment of protected areas in urban rainwater catchments and the use of estuaries as freshwater reservoirs have been introduced along with seawater desalination in order to reduce the country's dependence on untreated imported water.[7]

As a result of such efforts, Singapore has achieved self-sufficiency with its water supply since the mid-2010s.[8] Examples include its "Four National Taps" for its water supply.[9] Five desalination plants[a] have been opened throughout the country since 2003, which in total are able to produce a maximum capacity of approximately 195,000 million imperial gallons (890,000,000 m3) per day.[10]

Singapore's approach does not simply rely on physical infrastructure, but it also emphasises proper legislation and enforcement, water pricing, public education as well as research and development.[11] In 2007, Singapore's water and sanitation utility, the Public Utilities Board, received the Stockholm Industry Water Award for its holistic approach to water resources management.[12]

Singapore was also the first country in Asia to institute a comprehensive fluoridation programme which covers the entirety of its population. The water was fluoridated at 0.7 ppm using sodium silicofluoride.[13]

  1. ^ a b c WHO/UNICEF:Joint Monitoring Program for Water Supply and Sanitation:Data resources and estimates - Introduction Archived 14 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine, accessed on 21 July 2012
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference PUB Save Water was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Save Water". Archived from the original on 7 July 2017. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  4. ^ "Water price to rise from April 2024; Government to provide support for lower- and middle-income households". Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference PUB 2010 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Water Quality". pub.gov.sg. Public Utilities Board. Archived from the original on 7 March 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  7. ^ "Singapore Water Story". pub.gov.sg. Public Utilities Board. 17 April 2022. Archived from the original on 29 March 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference ASR was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ "Four National Taps". pub.gov.sg. PUB. Archived from the original on 9 October 2021. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  10. ^ Mohan, Matthew. "Singapore's first large-scale desalination plant capable of treating both seawater and freshwater opens". channelnewsasia.com. CNA. Archived from the original on 9 October 2021. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference Luan was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Stockholm International Water Institute:Stockholm Industry Water and sexAward:PUB Singapore Archived 4 July 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ Loh T. (1996). Thirty-eight years of water fluoridation--the Singapore scenario. Community dental health, 13 Suppl 2, 47–50.


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