Choa Chu Kang Waterworks to be reconstructed in 2022

SINGAPORE — Choa Chu Kang Waterworks (CCKWW), one of Singapore’s oldest water treatment plants, will undergo reconstruction works in 2022 to equip it with the latest water treatment technologies and smart capabilities.

The reconstruction will enhance the plant’s operations, maintenance, safety and security when completed in 2026, said national water agency PUB in a press release on Monday (June 21).

The treatment plant was built in two phases in 1975 and 1981. It treats 80 million gallons of water from Kranji, Pandan, Tengeh, Sarimbun and Murai reservoirs, equivalent to 145 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

Binnies Singapore, an engineering design and consultancy company, was awarded a tender of S$28.8 million to provide professional engineering services for the reconstruction.

Under the tender, Binnies Singapore is required to provide a detailed design, construction supervision and commissioning of the CCKWW reconstruction project for the next five years, said PUB.

The reconstruction comes shortly after CCKWW went through a S$162 million upgrade in 2019.

The upgrade included the construction of a new facility as well as the installation of ceramic membranes and ozone-biological activated carbon filters to facilitate advanced water treatment processes.

With the latest reconstruction, old buildings within the waterworks compound constructed before 1981 will be demolished to make way for new ones. Old equipment will also be replaced and smart features will be incorporated into the plant.

Parts of CCKWW that were upgraded in 2019 will not be affected by the upcoming reconstruction, said PUB.

The agency said that once completed, the treatment plant will be “a fully integrated and automated plant”.

It will have features such as autonomous systems to reduce manpower for labour-intensive tasks such as chemical preparation for the water treatment process.

It will also have online sensors to monitor and predict the condition and performance of equipment such as pumpsets in real time, said PUB.

New rooftop solar panels will be added to the existing 1 megawatt-peak system, to power the plant’s operational needs and reduce its carbon footprint.