WRITING HISTORIES OF CLIMATE CHANGE

From sewage to clean water: Would you drink recycled water? This country in Southeast Asia is making strides in creating sustainable processes to resolve its water scarcity issue.

Globally, the demand for clean water continues to rise; however, droughts and decreased rainfall as a result of environmental issues or by-products of climate change have posed challenges to countries with limited natural resources to provide clean water to their populations. In an area that is heavily dependent on rainfall, the beautiful country of Singapore — a city-state in maritime Southeast Asia — faces an environmental issue because of land scarcity: water scarcity. A report by the Water Resources Institute ranked Singapore as "one of the most water-stressed countries in the world," concluding that by 2040, Singapore would be one of the world's most vulnerable countries to disruptions in the water supply. When it comes to progressive technology to combat water scarcity — in the context of clean drinking water — the Singaporean government is fully supportive of funding projects that build new technologies for the future of its water supply. Water scarcity has driven changes within Singapore's social infrastructure for the better.

The Singapore population has been aware of its water supply issue during much of its pre-independence history with the building and expansion of the Impounding Reservoir in 1867 to accommodate the increasing demand for water, which ultimately failed to meet goals with the droughts that plagued Singapore at the turn of the twenty-first century, putting severe pressure on water stocks. In the 1960s — around Singapore's independence from Malaysia — with the policy of water rationing during periods of dry spells and a focus on broadcasting to the public with publicity campaigns, consumers were urged to save water and reduce wastage. To appeal directly to consumers, the government put up posters in public spaces, and appeals were sent directly to consumers who had high water usage — which was met with fines of hundreds of dollars. The government realized that public education has been a key strategy to meeting Singapore's water demands. Within the next decade, the Singapore government focused on modern technology by conducting studies to determine the feasibility of producing clean water from recycling wastewater. The study found that although the technology was possible, the cost was too high. Decades later, the feasibility of the technology — factors of which included cost and performance of membrane technology — came to life through NEWater, a brand of water treatment plants produced by Singapore's Public Utilities Board as a response to the government's water sustainability plan. In 2002, NEWater saw its public debut as Singapore celebrated its 37th National Day.

From August 2015 to January 2016, around 600,000 people went without water as rationing was reimposed. This resulted in the government focusing on strategies to prevent similar scenarios from forming in the future. This wasn't to say that NEWater failed, but due to the fact that the technology is pretty new (and expensive) and the number of plants are still limited, the push for more infrastructure is currently one of the top goals of the government. The PUB, Singapore's National Water Agency, is responsible for Singapore's water strategy, outlining the "Our Water, Our Future" campaign — one that elucidates upon the government's efforts to bring water security to all. More than ever, the government has focused efforts on expanding NEWater. The "brand" or project refers to the process of turning wastewater into clean water through treatment by plants. The purification of wastewater through microfiltration and reverse osmosis reduces the reliance on water rationing and desalination, which is more costly and consumes more energy. To meet the water demand by 2060, the government will increase water recycling and desalinating to supply up to 85% of the future water needs, slashing all barriers to clean water on the socioeconomic scale.

Works Cited

"Arts." Infopedia, Centre for Liveable Cities.

5 Things You May Not Have Known about NEWater. PUB, Singapore's National Water Agency, 27 Aug. 202.

Our Water, Our Future. PUB Singapore, 2018.

Teo, En Qi. "Singapore's Solution to Water Scarcity: NEWater." Home -, Save the Water, 1 Dec. 2021.