On March 19, residents at a Build-to-Order (BTO) project in Bukit Panjang suffered a three-hour water outage, arising from an electrical fault.

It was at least the second disruption since the residents moved in a year ago, and they had to queue to collect water from public taps, in scenes reminiscent of water rationing exercises in Singapore’s early years.

In the context of water conservation in Singapore, the historical learning point is often the last wide-scale water rationing exercise undertaken close to 60 years ago.

Prolonged drought conditions in Malaysia and Singapore led to water rationing for 10 months between April 1963 and February 1964 where the water supply was cut off for up to 12 hours three times a week. 

In today’s Singapore, the idea that the country could be subject to water rationing for close to a year is unimaginable.

Since independence, decades of prudent water management policies and the steady diversification of water sources from water catchment reservoirs in Malaysia and Singapore to water reclamation and desalination have alleviated much of Singapore’s water insecurity.  

To reinforce the lesson of water conservation, water rationing exercises are periodically carried out in schools to remind students not to take our water resources for granted lest we forget the severe water shortages of the 1960s.

Does this mean that the wide-scale water rationing imposed out of necessity in the 1960s is a thing of the past?

CLIMATE CHANGE A GAME-CHANGER

Singapore remains one of the most water stressed countries in the world and water demand is expected to grow.

Moreover, solutions to water insecurity now must take into account climate change and the threat of more extreme and volatile weather patterns and sea level rise.

Both water security and climate change are inextricably linked. If left unmitigated, extreme and volatile weather events resulting from climate change will cause water scarcity, pollute water sources and increase the unpredictability of water supply.

The direction of Singapore’s long-term water strategy has moved towards the direction of more weather-resilient water sources.

NEWater and desalinated water are two such weather-resilient options. Water reclamation and desalination are, however, energy intensive and Singapore’s long-term goal should be directed towards water sustainability without an increase in energy use.

In this regard, Singapore’s national water agency PUB has committed to investment in research and development that will allow the doubling of clean drinking water supply by 2060, but at half the energy requirements for desalination and NEWater treatment.

SINGAPORE’S WATER STORY

Singapore is a global leader in the conceptualisation and implementation of long-term policies in water management. Nevertheless, government policies can only move the needle so much.

For impactful change to happen, both public and private attitudes towards water use and conservation must be aligned to meet Singapore’s water sustainability goals. 

This attempt at alignment of public and private attitudes towards national objectives in water sustainability is not new.

Singapore’s first water conservation campaign was launched in 1971 by then PUB chairman Lim Kim San. The aim of the campaign was to encourage voluntary public actions to reduce water consumption and avert water rationing.

Better known as Singapore’s first "Water is Precious" campaign, in addition to fines to deter water wastage, PUB promoted water saving ideas and appealed to the public to conserve water through public education. This strategy worked and nation-wide water rationing was avoided.

Till this day, PUB runs the Singapore World Water Day campaign for the whole of March, in conjunction with the World Water Day on March 22, to remind Singaporeans to conserve water.

This water story from 1971 is not just one in successful water management, but part of the Singapore story in collective resilience.

It tells of how through the innovative leadership of Singapore’s first generation public service leaders and the collective response from society at large, Singaporeans can come together to avert a national water crisis.  

TOGETHER WE DRINK OR THIRST

Singapore’s forefathers have set the tone for progressive policies to ensure Singapore’s water security and collective resilience. It is an important inheritance that should be sustained.

In addition to the focus on public and national security education to shape attitudes and behaviour, as a principle, water should continue to be priced appropriately to discourage overconsumption both in households and businesses.   

During the Covid-19 pandemic, water consumption rose from 141 litres per person a day in 2019 to 158 litres of water per person a day in 2021. PUB’s target is to lower household consumption to 130 litres by 2030.

Individual responsibility is crucial to Singapore’s water security, but businesses and industries have a critical role to play as well.

By 2065, Singapore's total water demand is expected to almost double, with the non-domestic sector accounting for about 60 per cent.

In his World Water Day 2023 speech, Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced that PUB would introduce mandatory water recycling for new projects in water-intensive industries such as wafer fabrication, electronics, and biotechnology.

Attitudes in other industries, particularly those that encourage overconsumption of water as a resource such as fast fashion need to change as well.

It takes an estimated 2,700 litres of water to manufacture a cotton t-shirt which is sufficient drinking water to sustain a person for 2.5 years. This figure goes up to 3,781 litres of water for a pair of jeans.

Whilst it is important to engage water-intensive industries at the manufacturing end, water management and conservation policies should take into account the “virtual” or hidden water cost in the fast fashion industry and lifestyle businesses that encourage individuals to overconsume and adopt a trend-driven throw-away culture.

A 2017 YouGov survey revealed that one-third of Singaporeans have thrown away clothing after wearing it just once — and millennials are twice as likely to bin unwanted clothes. Millennials are also more susceptible to manipulative marketing tactics to consume more.

Public education in water conservation and management must evolve to take into account not only individual responsibility, but corporate responsibility as well.

DODGING DAY-ZERO BULLET

While individual responsibility is important, big brands and multinational corporations have an outsized influence in moving the needle towards impactful change on a wider scale.

Collective resilience in water security can be strengthened by shifting corporate practices through public-private engagement towards one of responsible use rather than overconsumption.   

Several water-stressed parts of the world in Asia, Africa and North America are now repeatedly dodging the “day zero” bullet, the day when all taps have to be turned off, due to decades of water management policies that encourage overconsumption.

In Singapore, the frustration of water disruption is a rare occurrence. Such disruptions could be the norm if individual and corporate responsibility in water security is not taken seriously.

The prolonged nation-wide water rationing imposed out of necessity in 1960s Singapore may not be imaginary in 21st century Singapore, should attitudes and behaviour slide towards unsustainable overconsumption.

Singapore’s water story in the last 60 years is one of building the country’s collective resilience. It is an inspirational story that reminds us that geographical and physical constraints are not always destiny.

Why do we look to history for lessons? Most often, the response to this question is so that we do not repeat the same mistakes.

Learning from the past is premised on the assumption that the historical episode resonates with learners of the present.

Singapore’s pioneer generation leaders have had the strategic foresight to secure the nation’s water security for successive generations. It is our collective responsibility to sustain this momentum.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Ong Weichong is head of the National Security Studies Programme at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University.