Water Resources

*Wednesday 18 March 2009*

Singapore and Malaysia have a long standing conflicts over water supply. In 1961, Singapore signed a water agreement with the Federation of Malaya. The agreement was that water would be sold at the price of 3 cents per 1,000 gallons to Singapore. The agreement was to be valid for 100 years, meaning it would expire in 2061.
Most of Singapore's water comes from Malaysia.
The Malaysian government has stated that the agreement was signed during a different time and that the price should increase. They cite an example of water sold from China to Hong Kong in the past, which was approximately $8 per 1,000 gallons.

Posted @ 18:38

So, with the realisation of water shortage, countries all over the world are trying to find alternative resources of water. While Singapore's Public Utilities Board has invented NEWater, the Australian Water Resources has invented the Aquifer Storage and Recovery system(ASR). Let's compare:

Aquifer Storage and Recovery System (ASR)

The ASR is the process of injecting water from the surface into a suitable underground aquifer for storage and re-supply. One of the advantages that the ASR has is that it can be used to store large volumes of water from wet periods (e.g. storm events) which can be stored with very little evaporation and can then be used at another time of the year when water is scarce. It is a suitable technology for urban environments where surface storage is limited, and demand is seasonal. ASR is likely to become a more common alternative source water supply in future.

NEWater

NEWater is the product from a multiple barrier water reclamation process. The first barrier is the conventional wastewater treatment process whereby the used water is treated to globally recognised standards in the Water Reclamation Plants.
The second barrier is the first stage of the NEWater production process known as Microfiltration. In this process, the treated used water is passed through membranes to filter out and retained on the membrane surface suspended solids, colloidal particles, disease-causing bacteria, some viruses and protozoan cysts. The filte

red water that goes through the membrane contains only dissolved salts and organic molecules.
The third barrier or the second stage of the NEWater production process is known as Reverse Osmosis. In RO, a semi-permeable membrane is used. The semi-permeable membrane has very small pores which only allow very small molecules like water molecules to pass through. Consequently, undesirable contaminants such as bacteria, viruses, heavy metals, nitrate, chloride, sulphate, disinfection by-products, aromatic hydrocarbons, pesticides etc, cannot pass through the membrane. Hence, NEWater is RO water and is free from viruses and bacteria and contains very low levels of salts and organic matters.
The fourth barrier or third stage of the NEWater production process really acts as a further safety back-up to the RO. In this stage, ultraviolet or UV disinfection is used to ensure that all organisms are inactivated and the purity of the product water guaranteed.
With the addition of some alkaline chemicals to restore the acid-alkali or pH balance, the NEWater is now ready to be piped off to its wide range of applications.

The conclusion?
Both alternatives have advantages over one another, isn't it?
What do you think? Which is the best method for water conservation?

Posted @ 01:04

*Monday 16 March 2009*

Singapore has limited land for water catchment, but PUB has put in place a network that allows capture rainwater from half of the country’s land area, which will increase to two thirds by this year with the completion of two reservoir schemes. However, we will tell you about one of the two reservoir schemes.

Marina Water Barrage

The Marina Water Barrage is Singapore's 15th resevoir, and it is the first in the heart of the city. It has a catchment of 10000 hectares, equivalent to one sixth the size of Singapore. Its benefits include meeting 10% of Singapore's Water Supply, along with flood control, and, being the largest reservoir, it attracts a lot of tourists.

Posted @ 22:42

Singapore's water resources are limited, as you probably know, with 4 National Taps in Singapore.

There's the Local Catchment Water,

Desalinated water,

The Imported Water from Malaysia,

and perhaps the most famous of all Singapore's water resources,

NEWater.

However, Singapore's imported water from Malaysia will not last long; it only lasts until year 2061, and by then, Singapore would lose one of her most important National Taps, and we must find a way to discover another lasting water resource for Singapore when that time comes.

Posted @ 22:03