Reader Response Draft 1

 The article “PUB Singapore's Water Story” by the Public Utilities Board (PUB) (2020), reports that there should be a well established water infrastructure, as the water demand for the citizens is expected to double by 2060. PUB is initiating a few strategies to aid the demand, which is “collect every drop of water, reuse water endlessly, and desalinate seawater”. For that matter; imported water, local catchments, NEWater and desalinated water are the national taps that provide the country with the supply of water. Local catchments, under PUB’s  programmes, play a part in engaging the citizens to have closer proximity with water, and learn to appreciate the finite supply. As the Singapore-Malaysia water agreement is set to expire in 2061, focusing on local catchments is crucial. Based on the points elaborated in the article. Singapore will be heavily reliant on 2 of the national taps, NEWater and Desalination plants, in the near future due to the water demand. Although details on these national taps were mentioned, they have failed to mention the new problems that this could cause.

Firstly, PUB does not mention that NEWater and the desalination plants are energy intensive. Energy, which stems from fossil fuels, is one of the finite resources on Earth that is being quickly depleted. Siau (2016) has stated that the desalination process burns up more fossil fuel than sourcing for the same amount of fresh water from fresh water bodies. This contributes further to the world’s current biggest problem, global warming. PUB mentions that they are recycling water, to curb the water wastage as well as the water shortage issue, but this does not benefit the environment. Solving the water shortage issue causes another by contributing to the global warming effect, as energy requires the burning of fossil fuels. This method would require further research, to ensure that less harm is done to the environment.

Secondly, the article does not mention that the water demand in Singapore should be reduced with the efforts of the citizens. Although the article mentions that there is an aim to reduce the water consumption per capita, there is not enough information to instill the importance of the conservation of water. Khew (2016) mentions that world renowned water expert, Professor Biswas, has commented that the authorities here are so efficient at making such effects invisible at the turn of the tap, Singapore residents continue to take a free flow of fresh, clean water for granted. By quickly solving the issue of water shortage, Singaporeans would continue to assume that the current usage of water is an entitlement, not a privilege. 

Lastly, there should be more information on the ABC Waters programme, which aims to provide community involvement. As this is a relatively new initiative, it affects the current and new generations. The article only briefly mentions the programmes, which provides less educational knowledge for the citizens.

Although PUB has provided chunks of information on the national taps that would support the water demand, it has failed to educate Singaporeans on the importance of water conservation. Additionally, more research should be done to reduce the reliance on energy in NEWater and desalination plants.

https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/water-security-energy-use-difficult-trade

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/environment/singapores-water-success-has-h2o-expert-worried

https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/singapore-needs-to-manage-water-demand