Recycled water takes Singapore by storm

Singapore will now be sourcing 15% of all its water from water recycling plants, after the opening of the fourth and largest such facility this week.


The “new water” plant in Ulu Pandan will meet 10% of total water demand in the island state, which has tackled water shortages with a mix of measures including desalination, imported water, traditional sourcing from local catchments as well as “new water,” as Singaporeans call the output of water recycling plants.

As he officially opened the plant on Thursday, Singapour’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said: “In the last 40 years, we have worked hard to build a secure, reliable, diversified, and sustainable supply of water for Singapore.

“New water allows us to use each drop of water more than once, and so multiply our effective supply of water.”

Water from the plant, which uses advanced membrane technologies, is used in industrial processes that require ultra-clean water, such as electronics, petrochemicals and wafer fabrication.

“New water,” which costs around US $0.65 per cubic meter, will also be used for drinking although only when mixed with reservoir water “in small quantities.”

Although many countries, including the UK, use recycled water, in drought-stricken Australia plans to introduce “recycled sewage” into the drinking water supply have met with strong opposition from the public.

Goska Romanowicz

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