How Singapore solved its looming water crisis

Summary

Singapore, a densely populated island nation with no natural freshwater resources, is transforming its water scarcity into self-sufficiency through a multi-faceted approach known as the '4 national taps' strategy. This includes water imports, desalination, local catchment, and the innovative 'NEWater' program, which recycles wastewater. With a focus on efficiency, technology, and long-term planning, Singapore serves as a global model for sustainable water management.

Takeaways

• 🌍 Singapore, despite being a small island city-state, has a significant impact on global water management discussions due to its innovative water strategies.
• 💧 The country faces a critical water scarcity issue, with no natural freshwater resources and a growing demand that could double by 2060.
• 🚰 Singapore's water strategy revolves around the 'soft path' approach, focusing on water efficiency, conservation, and exploring new water sources.
• 🔄 The '4 national taps' strategy includes water imports, desalination, local catchment, and NEWater, aiming for water self-sufficiency by 2061.
• 💦 Desalination plays a key role, currently providing up to 25% of Singapore's water supply, with plans to increase this to 30% by 2060.
• 🌧️ Rainwater catchment is maximized, with two-thirds of the state's surface used for this purpose, and ambitions to increase this to 90% by 2060.
• 🌐 Singapore's NEWater technology is a model for wastewater treatment, producing high-quality water used even in the chip manufacturing industry.
• 🏙️ The city-state's water management is a result of significant investment in infrastructure, innovation, and a proactive political approach.
• 🌱 Singapore's success in water management is also due to its small agricultural sector, allowing it to focus on urban and industrial water needs.
• 🌐 The country's water management serves as a blueprint for other regions facing water scarcity, emphasizing the importance of long-term planning and policy.

Q & A

What is the primary issue with water in Singapore?

Singapore has no natural freshwater resources and faces significant water scarcity due to its small size and lack of natural water sources.

How has water scarcity historically impacted Singapore?

Water scarcity has influenced Singapore's history, including during World War 2 when Japanese forces bombed water pipes, leading to a severe lack of water and the loss of the Battle of Singapore.

What is the 'soft path' approach to water management mentioned in the script?

The 'soft path' approach focuses on using water efficiently and carefully, stopping water wastage, and exploring new sources of supply, in contrast to the 'hard path' which involves building infrastructure and taking more water from nature without considering environmental impacts.

What are Singapore's '4 national taps' water strategy?

Singapore's '4 national taps' strategy includes water imports, desalination, local catchment, and NEWater. These strategies aim to diversify the country's water sources and move towards self-sufficiency.

Why is water import from Malaysia not considered a sustainable long-term solution for Singapore?

Water import from Malaysia is not sustainable due to political tensions and threats to cut off the supply, as well as the need for Singapore to reduce its reliance on external sources to achieve long-term water security.

How does Singapore utilize desalination as part of its water strategy?

Singapore uses desalination to convert seawater into fresh water, with state-of-the-art facilities that can also treat used water during droughts. Desalination currently provides up to 25% of Singapore's water supply, with plans to increase this to 30% by 2060.

What is the significance of Singapore's rainwater catchment system?

Singapore's rainwater catchment system maximizes the use of rainfall by collecting it through an extensive network of rivers, canals, and drains, and storing it in reservoirs. The government aims to use 90% of the land area for rain catchment by 2060.

What is NEWater and how is it produced?

NEWater is high-quality recycled water produced through microfiltration, reverse osmosis, and UV radiation. It is used in industries that require ultra-pure water, such as chip manufacturing, and Singapore aims to increase its use in the overall water supply.

How does Singapore encourage water conservation among its citizens?

Singapore promotes water conservation through nationwide campaigns, offering discount vouchers for installing water-saving fittings, and using digital water meters to track consumption and detect leaks. The country also emphasizes water education to raise awareness about water challenges and solutions.

What advantages does Singapore have in addressing its water challenges compared to other countries?

Singapore's advantages include being a wealthy nation that can invest heavily in water infrastructure, having a small and manageable territory, a controlled democracy that allows for efficient decision-making, and a limited agricultural sector that reduces the demand for fresh water.

How does Singapore's long-term planning contribute to its water security?

Singapore's long-term planning for water security involves proactive decision-making, policy implementation, and investment in water efficiency improvements. The country's water strategy has been a high priority since its independence, with a focus on sustainability and innovation.

Outlines

00:00

💧 Singapore's Water Crisis and Strategy

Singapore, despite being a thriving city-state, faces a significant water crisis due to the lack of natural freshwater resources. The country's water scarcity has historically influenced wars and political decisions. To combat this, Singapore has adopted a 'soft path' approach, focusing on water efficiency and exploring new water sources. The '4 national taps' strategy includes water imports, desalination, local catchment, and NEWater. Singapore's water story dates back to World War 2, and since gaining independence, the country has been planning for long-term water security. The first tap, water imports from Malaysia, though a temporary solution, has been a starting point for Singapore's journey towards water self-sufficiency.

05:02

🌊 Desalination and Rainwater Catchment

Desalination is a key component of Singapore's water strategy, providing an unlimited supply of fresh water by removing salt from seawater. The country has advanced desalination technology, with five plants currently supplying up to 25% of the island's water needs, aiming to increase this to 30% by 2060. Singapore also excels in rainwater catchment, utilizing two-thirds of its land for this purpose. An extensive network of reservoirs and drainage systems captures and treats rainwater for reuse. The government plans to expand this to 90% land use for rain catchment by 2060. Additionally, Singapore has invested heavily in sewage treatment, with a 206-kilometer sewage pipeline and advanced reclamation facilities, leading to a remarkable 30% of water demand being met through recycled wastewater.

10:04

🌱 Long-Term Planning and Water Solutions

Singapore's success in water management is attributed to its long-term planning, proactive approach, and significant investment in water technology and infrastructure. The country's water strategy is deeply integrated into its political and policy framework, with water security being a top priority. Singapore's water management includes incentivizing water-saving fittings, utilizing desalination where feasible, and focusing on catchment and purification. The country also emphasizes water education, ensuring public awareness and participation in water conservation. Despite its unique advantages, such as a small agricultural sector and a controlled democracy that facilitates project implementation, Singapore's approach to water management serves as a model for other regions facing water challenges. The proactive stance and comprehensive planning from the time of independence have positioned Singapore as a leader in addressing water scarcity in the face of climate change.

Keywords

💡Water scarcity

Water scarcity refers to the insufficient availability of fresh water to meet the demands of human activities and ecosystems. In the video, Singapore's history of water scarcity is highlighted, particularly during World War 2 when the bombing of water pipelines led to severe shortages. This term is crucial as it sets the stage for understanding Singapore's proactive measures to achieve water self-sufficiency.

💡Soft path approach

The 'soft path' approach to water management emphasizes efficient and careful use of water, reducing waste, and exploring alternative water sources. It contrasts with the 'hard path', which involves building large-scale infrastructures that exploit natural resources. The video mentions that Singapore's success is attributed to this approach, focusing on water efficiency and innovative solutions rather than traditional, resource-intensive methods.

💡Desalination

Desalination is the process of removing salt and other impurities from seawater to produce fresh water. The video explains how Singapore has invested in desalination technology, with five plants currently providing up to 25% of the island's water supply. This keyword is significant as it represents one of the 'taps' in Singapore's water strategy, aiming to reduce dependence on water imports.

💡Local Catchment

Local Catchment refers to the collection and storage of rainwater within a specific geographical area. The video describes how Singapore uses two-thirds of its land area for rainwater catchment, with an extensive network of reservoirs and drainage systems. This concept is integral to Singapore's water management, showcasing the country's efforts to harness natural rainfall for water supply.

💡NEWater

NEWater is a high-quality reclaimed water produced from treated used water through advanced purification processes like microfiltration, reverse osmosis, and UV radiation. The video highlights that Singapore uses NEWater in its chip manufacturing industry due to its ultra-pure quality. This keyword exemplifies Singapore's commitment to water recycling and innovation, aiming to increase the reuse of wastewater to 55% by 2060.

💡Water imports

Water imports involve obtaining water from external sources, in Singapore's case, from neighboring Malaysia. The video discusses the historical agreements that allowed Singapore to import water, which currently makes up half of its supply. However, the reliance on imports is seen as unsustainable, prompting Singapore to plan for a future without water imports by 2061.

💡Water education

Water education in the context of the video refers to the efforts made by Singapore to inform and engage its citizens about water conservation and the country's water management strategies. The video mentions nationwide campaigns and incentives for water-saving measures, which are part of Singapore's broader educational initiatives to foster a water-conscious society.

💡Water rags to riches

This phrase, used in the video, metaphorically describes Singapore's transformation from a water-stressed country to one achieving water self-sufficiency through innovative water management practices. It encapsulates the narrative of the video, highlighting the country's journey from water scarcity to becoming a global model for water sustainability.

💡4 national taps

The '4 national taps' is a strategic water management plan outlined in the video, which includes water imports, desalination, local catchment, and NEWater. This concept is central to understanding Singapore's comprehensive approach to ensuring water security, aiming to diversify its water sources and reduce vulnerabilities.

💡Climate change

Climate change is mentioned in the video as a backdrop to Singapore's water challenges, implying that the country's proactive water management strategies are also a response to the uncertainties and potential impacts of global climate patterns. This keyword underscores the broader environmental context within which Singapore's water policies are being developed and implemented.

💡Long-term planning

Long-term planning is a recurring theme in the video, emphasizing Singapore's strategic approach to water management, with plans stretching from independence in 1965 to 2060. This keyword is crucial as it highlights the importance of foresight and sustained commitment in addressing complex issues like water security, which requires a multi-decade perspective.

Highlights

Singapore's water challenges have historically influenced wars and political agendas.

Despite water scarcity, Singapore is a global role model for water management.

Singapore's transformation from water-stressed to self-sufficient is remarkable.

The 'soft path' approach focuses on water efficiency and new supply sources.

Singapore's water strategy began post-World War 2 with a focus on long-term planning.

The '4 national taps' strategy includes water imports, desalination, local catchment, and NEWater.

Water imports from Malaysia are a short-term solution with plans to end dependency by 2061.

Desalination provides up to 25% of Singapore's water supply, with plans to increase this figure.

Singapore efficiently uses two-thirds of its land for rainwater catchment.

The Marina Barrage is a significant infrastructure project for water control and flood prevention.

NEWater, treated wastewater, is a key component of Singapore's water strategy.

Singapore aims to recycle 55% of its water demand by 2060, much of it for industrial use.

Nationwide campaigns promote water-saving measures, such as installing water-efficient fittings.

Singapore's water loss from leaks is an impressive 5%, compared to a global average of 30%.

Water education is a cornerstone of Singapore's strategy, ensuring community engagement.

Singapore's water management success is due to its proactive approach and long-term planning.

Singapore's water strategy is deeply integrated into every policy, with high political priority.

Singapore's water management serves as a model for tackling global water challenges amidst climate change.

Transcripts

No joke, but this place...

has a serious issue with water.

Water here has changed the course of war,

started fights with neighboring countries,

and dominates the city's political agenda.

And yet, this country is a role model.

"Singapore got it right, as simple as that."

This is how Singapore is transforming itself from

one of the most water-stressed countries in the world

to self-sufficiency,

from water rags –

to riches.

Welcome to Singapore!

A vibrant multicultural city-state, right on the equator.

Densely populated,

around 6 million people live on this tiny island.

It's an international hub for trade and finance.

It's clean, safe, modern, wealthy, green.

Basically, it has a lot of everything you'd want.

There's just that one thing...

Singapore has no natural freshwater resources.

And the way its economy and population are growing,

total water demand could almost double by 2060.

But Singapore is on it.

"None of what they've done is magic."

That's Peter Gleick, he's an award-winning water expert.

He puts Singapore's success down to what he calls

the "soft path" approach to their problems.

"So the soft path for water is in contrast to what we have done

over the last century and more,

more than a century, the hard path.

To build hard infrastructure,

to take more and more water out of nature,

to ignore the consequences of our water policies for nature,

to build narrow institutions.

And the soft path tries to turn that around and say,

let's use water efficiently and carefully.

Let's stop wasting water.

Let's look at new sources of supply."

To understand how Singapore can pull this off,

you first need to understand where they're coming from.

"The Singapore water story starts with World War 2."

That's Jon Church, the guy for water at the United Nations.

Singaporeans would argue that the story goes back a lot longer,

but 1942 is certainly when the issue

grabbed the world's attention.

That's when allied troops,

namely British, Australian and Indian forces,

were battling fascist Japan on Singapore Island,

which at the time was a British colony.

The allies depended on imported water

which was a bit of a problem

when Japanese forces blew up the pipes

transporting that water.

"The bridge that connects Malaysia and Singapore

was bombed.

The result was lack of water in the city,

a terrible episode of water scarcity."

The Allies lost the battle of Singapore,

but after Japan's overall surrender,

the island remained in British hands.

It took more than 20 years until it became fully independent.

But political liberation didn't free Singapore

from its water crisis:

water rationing, catastrophic sanitation,

and regular floods continued.

With its fate now in its own hands,

Singapore began planning for the long-term.

Cecilia Tortajada has spent almost three decades

researching water policy and innovations around the world

and is fascinated by Singapore's path.

"When Singapore became independent,

they started planning to be water independent,

as well as food independent,

energy independent,

but to have systems that can sustain stress.

That was in 1965 for 2060."

Their initial masterplan was fine-tuned over the years

into a water strategy which they call their "4 national taps".

First: Water imports

Second: Desalination

Third: Local Catchment

And fourth, something they call "NEWater".

Let's dive into it!

Firstly, Singapore knew there was plenty of water,

right here:

Two deals to import water from Malaysia in the 60's,

got the taps running again.

It's cheap and millions of liters are pumped

over the border every day.

But buying half your water from your neighbor

isn't sustainable long-term.

On the contrary:

From the start, Malaysia made threats

to cut off the supply and argued over its price.

The tensions have even led to warnings of a military conflict.

Singapore's leaders know their weak spot,

so they want to stop importing water by 2061.

So, it's all the more important that

the other three taps become more than a drop in the ocean.

"Water planning is very important

because they have so little water,

Singapore must make sure, that this water is used wisely.

And the objective of this master plan is to make

the most out of every single drop of water."

This means keeping rivers and drains clean,

investing billions,

starting to collect more water,

cleaning it and use what the island state Singapore already has.

For example, this:

The ocean!

"Desalination, Desalination, Desalination.

You take that undrinkable salt water,

you remove the salt

and you have an unlimited supply of fresh water."

Do you remember?

We had an entire video about obtaining fresh water

through desalination.

It's used in a number of extremely dry places around the world

and is a real gamechanger for some.

"Membrane desalination uses pressure.

Salt water, here coloured in red for clarity,

is pressed through a membrane

that is only partially permeable.

Fresh water can press through.

Here coloured in blue.

But the salt is trapped on the other side."

Singapore really pushed to advance this technology.

This underground facility for example is state-of-the-art.

Normally, it treats used water.

In times of drought, it desalinates sea water.

On top, people use it as a park.

Today, five desalination plants provide up to 25 %

of the entire island's water supply.

Singapore plans increase this capacity

to meet 30% of its needs in 2060,

by which time water use is expected to have doubled.

But that's no way near self-sufficiency.

So, what's next?

Bingo! Rain!

A lot of it, and Singapore is a master of maxing that out.

Two third of the entire state's surface

is used for rainwater catchment.

"Basically, the water falls on the roof

and then goes through drains and then you make sure

that as little water leaks from the drains

and is captured by the drainage system

and conveyed to reservoirs where it can be stored.

And treated for further use.

An extensive network of rivers, canals and drains

channels the water into 17 reservoirs.

The biggest is Marina Barrage,

with an area of 10,000 hectares.

It holds back fresh water from flowing into the ocean.

And helps to control frequent floods.

So does this underground tank

that catches floodwater in extreme cases

when the drains spill over.

Even this water could potentially be treated and reused.

By 2060, the government wants to use

90% of the land area for rain catchment.

Catching rainwater is one thing,

but what about the water already in circulation?

"All drainage water is collected,

and treated and reused as much as possible.

Most countries, they do not invest, not even a fraction

of what Singapore is investing."

The water authorities

built a 206 kilometer sewage pipe-highway,

costing 10 billion dollars

that guides the city's sewage

into state-of-the-art reclamation and cleaning facilities.

Ok, Singapore is by some measures

the 5th richest country in the world

so it can afford to splash out like that.

It's also a lot easier to push through such projects

when you have the sort of "controlled democracy",

run by the same party,

that Singapore has had since independence in 1965.

Anyway, the entire city's underground

is basically one big sewer network.

But the pride of Singapore's water strategy

is what happens after collecting the water –

the treatment.

The authorities call it NEWater.

It's produced by microfiltration,

reverse osmosis and UV radiation.

"Some of that water is so high quality,

Singapore is using it in their chip manufacturing industry,

which requires ultra-pure water,

which is an indication of how good a quality of that water is."

Did you know, that around the world,

half of our wastewater is released untreated?

And only 11% is actually reused.

In Singapore about 30% percent

of the entire drinkable and non-drinkable demand

can be met by recycling used water.

And they want to increase that to 55% by 2060.

Most of it is used by industry,

only a fraction of it is mixed into the drinking water supply,

because we're all so squeamish.

"It's controversial because we're taking wastewater

which, you know, goes down our drains,

we flush it down our toilets,

industry dumps wastewater.

And we typically think of that

as a, a liability, as something to get rid of."

So how do you get people on board?

"Using the flush saver cistern bag and save with every flush!"

"Make saving water pay!"

"Reduce water consumption!"

"Save up to 10 liters of water per hour!"

Nationwide campaigns encourage people

to install water-saving fittings.

And nicely, if you install those fittings,

you get discount vouchers for other sustainable products.

Digital water meters track each household's

water consumption and detect leaks in pipes.

That's how Singapore comes down to

an incredible 5% water loss from leaks.

Which is first class.

Globally, the average is estimated to be 30%.

"What they've done incredibly well, in my opinion,

is on the side of water education.

They've educated their community about their water situation,

about their water challenges,

and about the solutions that they've chosen to push."

As good as Singapore is doing,

it has big advantages over other countries.

Besides being rich and a tightly-controlled society,

the city only has a tiny agricultural sector

and can focus almost entirely

on urban and industrial wastewater.

So, they have one problem less

as food production pollutes

and consumes enormous amounts

of fresh water in many parts of the world.

Despite that, they've shown:

a lot is possible.

"Everywhere in the world, when we start,

again talking about water -

when we see our management, how can it be improved?

Who would be involved?

How can we pay for it?

There is always a "but".

"But" can we do it?

And in Singapore it's not.

In Singapore it's: how is it that we are going to do it?

So, it's a very different perspective, its proactive.

They move very fast.

So once a decision has been taken

the things start happening."

So, to sum up:

Incentivizing low-cost water-saving fittings

could be easy for every government to implement.

Desalination is only an option for coastal regions

and it requires a lot of energy, often dirty fossil fuels.

Singapore's catchment, treatment and purification facilities

are world class,

as the result of a lot of investment in innovation and research.

"But it turns out that a dollar invested

in an efficiency improvement

is much more productive than a dollar invested in new supply."

Reusing wastewater seems a no-brainer.

It's safe and tested to work and the tech is available.

"This is really important to find the best solutions

to every country's problems,

but also long-term planning.

Singapore, from all the way from  independence

has been planning its way

through water security.

In Singapore it's extremely high on the political agenda,

all the way up to the Prime Minister.

It's something which is mainstreamed

in each and every policy adopted

and implemented by the country."

Singapore is blazing a trail in tackling

some of the world's biggest water challenges

in the face of climate change.

It's not just about money,

but also about decision-making,

policy and long-term planning.

Some of the ingredients

with which any region could make it from water rags to riches.