Regular Water Rationing Exercises

Mr Chong Kee Hiong asked the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources whether the Ministry will consider having water rationing exercises twice a year to instil in our citizens and residents the importance of water and inculcate responsible water usage behaviour in view of the persistent drought and diminishing water levels in Linggiu Reservoir.

Mdm Speaker, I share the Member's view that we need to inculcate responsible water usage among our residents. While we have planned ahead to ensure that our water supply is adequate, we need to enhance our resilience against the uncertainties brought about by climate change. Encouraging prudent use of water is an important thrust of our effort.

We believe that good habits are best cultivated when young. As such, the Public Utilities Board (PUB) collaborated with five schools to conduct water rationing exercises this year during the Singapore World Water Day celebrations. Our aim is to reinforce the value of water among our students, starting from young, and inculcate the habit of saving water early. We plan to do this again and we encourage more schools and other organisations to join us next year.

In addition, PUB has worked with the Ministry of Education to include water conservation topics in the social studies syllabus for Primary 3 students. It also devised a "Time to Save" programme where primary school students learn and practise water conservation.

As for the wider community, PUB has been carrying out extensive outreach and educational programmes. We have also mandated water efficiency labelling and minimum standards to help consumers make more informed purchasing decisions and adopt more water-efficient fittings and appliances. Moving forward, PUB will be carrying out studies to gain a deeper understanding of households' water usage patterns so as to better design and implement outreach programmes. For example, PUB is working with the Housing and Development Board (HDB) and the Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) on the Smart Enabled Homes Trial in Yuhua estate for 2016-2017, and this will provide households with hourly water consumption data and water saving tips, and alert them on anomalies in water usage. Given these outreach programmes, both at schools and in the community, it may not be necessary to conduct water rationing exercises with households at the moment.

The responsibility of water conservation does not fall on households alone. Businesses must also play a part. We have mandated the submission of Water Efficiency Management Plan (WEMP) for large water users in the non-domestic sector. Through these plans, businesses can better understand their water usage and establish water management systems to enhance their water efficiency. PUB will study the data collected from these plans and explore the potential for water efficiency benchmarks and good practice guidelines for the different sectors.

All of us have to do our part to conserve water. This way, our water resources can last longer. Every effort counts and, collectively, the amount of water saved can be significant.