Laws to reduce water use during drought could be in the pipeline: Balakrishnan

SINGAPORE — Washing of cars and pavements, as well as the watering of lawns, could become offences in times of severe drought.

The Government is considering changes to the Public Utilities Act to impose water restrictions during periods of severe drought, said Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan today (March 11), during his ministry’s Committee of Supply debate.

Water consumption went up during the dry spell last February despite reminders to conserve the resource. But the authorities did not have to resort to water rationing because of water infrastructure — such as water recycling and desalination plants — built over the years, he said.

Singapore has also experienced dry weather in the first two months of this year, and Dr Balakrishnan said the plants are running at 70 per cent capacity, resulting in higher water levels at the reservoirs than they would otherwise be.

More facilities will be built to cater to water needs: A third desalination plant will be built in Tuas, and more will be built in other parts of Singapore, he said.

To ensure the infrastructure does not take up land that could be used for other purposes, he said underground space could be used. National water agency PUB will call a tender for consultancy services to study the feasibility of using underground space, including rock caverns, for the future redevelopment of its Kranji Water Recalamation Plant and NEWater factory.