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Saving water is everyone’s moral duty

I refer to the report “The Big Read: How S’pore’s water conservation message got diluted by recent successes” (March 11).

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Jeffrey Law Lee Beng

I refer to the report “The Big Read: How S’pore’s water conservation message got diluted by recent successes” (March 11).

As someone from the Pioneer Generation, I have experienced much hardship and inconvenience from the scourge of water-rationing in the 1960s, especially during dry spells. Life became more uncertain when there was no guarantee that our neighbour across the Causeway would not cut off the water supply.

Now that the situation is much better, it is deplorable that some Singaporeans still fail to appreciate how precious this life-giving commodity is. In coffee shops, hawker centres, homes and workplaces, one often sees people using copious amounts of water unnecessarily. This is appalling given that there are 783 million people who do not have access to clean water today.

The Government’s attempt to drive home the message of water as a national security issue is paramount and timely, but it is an uphill task without the efforts of every stakeholder.

The late Mr Lee Kuan Yew reminded us that nobody owes us a living and that we must not fully rely on others for our needs, especially for something as precious as water.

So even if we become self-sufficient in our water supply in future, it is everyone’s moral duty to conserve water and make it our way of life.

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