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Water price hike necessary because of S’pore’s circumstances

The water price hike has been a subject of debate, with many supporting it and more opposing it (Rise in water prices will push up cost of living; March 27).

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Bryan Lim Tsang Yi

The water price hike has been a subject of debate, with many supporting it and more opposing it (Rise in water prices will push up cost of living; March 27).

My opinion is that the increase is not as bad as we think. Housing and Development Board households would have to pay an average increase of S$7 to S$15 a month.

Some may struggle to afford this, which is why the water bills for one-and two-room flats will not increase, while all other flats will also receive Utilities-Save rebates. From this, we see that lower-income groups will not be heavily affected.

Some question why the price must increase in the first place. Some say that water in Singapore is already priced higher than in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

But Singapore as a nation faces a different set of problems.

We do not have the luxury of vast land, allowing us to build infrastructure everywhere, for example. We import up to 60 per cent of our water, a fact that has its own set of issues.

Our country must invest in infrastructure that will allow for self-sufficiency in future.

We, myself included, tend to have a critical attitude without fully understanding the big picture, but Singapore has been dealt these cards, and we must make the most of them.

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