Business Times - 28 Jul 2009
DRIVEN by a vision of water sustainability, PUB, Singapore's national water agency, has been developing a robust and diversified water supply strategy from four different sources known as the Four National Taps (water from local catchment areas, imported water, reclaimed water known as NEWater and desalinated water).
Pioneered by PUB, NEWater is a key pillar of Singapore's sustainable water supply. High-grade reclaimed water, NEWater is produced from treated used water that is purified using advanced membrane technologies, making it ultra-clean and safe to drink.
It has also passed more than 30,000 scientific tests and surpasses World Health Organization requirements.
Because it is ultra-clean, NEWater is ideal for industries that need highly purified water. Most of the NEWater is supplied to wafer fabrication, electronics and power-generation industries as well as commercial and institutional complexes for cooling purposes. This frees up potable water for domestic use. PUB also blends a small percentage of the NEWater with the reservoir water.
'Our challenge is to secure public acceptance and encourage industry to convert to NEWater for nonpotable uses,' says Peng Kah Poh, director (InfoComm), PUB. 'Through intensive public education, the demand for NEWater has grown steadily.'
Today, NEWater is produced by four plants and meets 15 per cent of Singapore's total water needs. With the opening of a new plant in 2010, that number will rise to 30 per cent. But securing an adequate supply is only half of the water equation-managing the demand side is just as crucial. PUB has a wide-ranging water conservation plan that encourages customers to use water wisely.
Singapore's per capita domestic water consumption has been brought down from 165 litres per day in 2003 to the current 157 litres. The target is to lower it to 155 litres by 2012.
'For Singaporeans, the educational journey towards water conservation starts at a very young age,' says Chee Kiong Goh, director of Cleantech at the Economic Development Board of Singapore. 'Water survival has been inculcated throughout society since the 1960s.'
Singapore is now recognised as a global hydro hub for its innovative water management, and has managed to turn the country's vulnerability into a key strength.
The IBM Global Innovation Outlook Cities: Developing Smarter Urban Systems convenes academics, businesses, governments and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Singapore on tomorrow to discuss the challenges and opportunities inherent in building smarter cities. With population explosion, older cities will need to update critical infrastructure and new cities will need to build adaptable, flexible systems to accommodate shifting demographics.
DRIVEN by a vision of water sustainability, PUB, Singapore's national water agency, has been developing a robust and diversified water supply strategy from four different sources known as the Four National Taps (water from local catchment areas, imported water, reclaimed water known as NEWater and desalinated water).
Pioneered by PUB, NEWater is a key pillar of Singapore's sustainable water supply. High-grade reclaimed water, NEWater is produced from treated used water that is purified using advanced membrane technologies, making it ultra-clean and safe to drink.
It has also passed more than 30,000 scientific tests and surpasses World Health Organization requirements.
Because it is ultra-clean, NEWater is ideal for industries that need highly purified water. Most of the NEWater is supplied to wafer fabrication, electronics and power-generation industries as well as commercial and institutional complexes for cooling purposes. This frees up potable water for domestic use. PUB also blends a small percentage of the NEWater with the reservoir water.
'Our challenge is to secure public acceptance and encourage industry to convert to NEWater for nonpotable uses,' says Peng Kah Poh, director (InfoComm), PUB. 'Through intensive public education, the demand for NEWater has grown steadily.'
Today, NEWater is produced by four plants and meets 15 per cent of Singapore's total water needs. With the opening of a new plant in 2010, that number will rise to 30 per cent. But securing an adequate supply is only half of the water equation-managing the demand side is just as crucial. PUB has a wide-ranging water conservation plan that encourages customers to use water wisely.
Singapore's per capita domestic water consumption has been brought down from 165 litres per day in 2003 to the current 157 litres. The target is to lower it to 155 litres by 2012.
'For Singaporeans, the educational journey towards water conservation starts at a very young age,' says Chee Kiong Goh, director of Cleantech at the Economic Development Board of Singapore. 'Water survival has been inculcated throughout society since the 1960s.'
Singapore is now recognised as a global hydro hub for its innovative water management, and has managed to turn the country's vulnerability into a key strength.
The IBM Global Innovation Outlook Cities: Developing Smarter Urban Systems convenes academics, businesses, governments and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Singapore on tomorrow to discuss the challenges and opportunities inherent in building smarter cities. With population explosion, older cities will need to update critical infrastructure and new cities will need to build adaptable, flexible systems to accommodate shifting demographics.
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