Although Canada holds 20 percent of the world’s fresh water,
we posses only 7 percent of the world’s renewable
fresh water. The perception that Canada has an abundance of fresh water has led
to misuse and abuse as evidenced by Canada's reprehensible per capita water consumption
of 343 litres per Canadian per day. Canada requires more stringent policy to
ensure sustainable water use and consumption.
The Canadian government can learn from countries like Singapore- a country that has built robust and highly effective water management policies.
Singapore covers an area of about 700 km2- slightly
larger than the city of Toronto. With a population of 4.4 million, Singapore
has consistently ranked as one of the least corrupt countries in the world. While
Singapore receives 2400mm of rain annually, it is still considered a water-scarce
country because of the limited amount of land that can be used to collect rainfall.
In order to provide
sufficient water for its 4.4 million residents, Singapore’s water management
approach relies on a combination of four strategies: rainfall storage,
desalination, water imports and advanced technology for recycling water. Because
of its holistic approach, Singapore has been able to successfully balance water
quality and quantity considerations in an equitable manner that achieves
economic efficiency, promotes public and private sector cooperation, and reduces
reliance on external sources.
Let’s take a look at Singapore’s four strategies in further
detail:
1. Rainfall Storage:
Since 86 percent of Singapore’s population lives in
high-rise buildings, the city-state has relied indispensably on collecting rainfall
for non-potable uses (mainly for toilets). The cost of collecting rainwater
is $0.25 USD per cubic meter compared to the cost of collecting potable water which is $0.33
USD.
2. Desalination:
In 2005, Singapore created its first desalination plant, SingSpring,
with the capacity to produce 30 million gallons of water per day. The plant
uses three stages to treat water. First, sea water goes through a treatment
process whereby suspended particles are removed. Next, water undergoes reverse
osmosis. Finally, the water is remineralized.
A second desalination plant with a capacity to produce 70 million gallons of water will be completed in 2013. Combined, these two plants will allow Singapore to meet 7.4 percent of its current water demand.
3. Water Imports:
Singapore currently relies on water imports from Malaysia to
satisfy 40 percent of its water demand.
4. Recycling Wastewater:
In 1998, Singapore started experimenting with water
reclamation—the process of cleaning wastewater to safely return it to the
environment. The Singapore Public Utilities Board (PUB) built a prototype plant, The
Bedok Water Reclamation Plant, in May 2000 and after two years of testing the plant
received a clean bill of health. The water quality was so high that it even met the quality standards of the Environmental Protection Agency and the World
Health Organization. After the success
of the Bedok Water Reclamation Plant, Singapore has begun to collect, treat, and
reuse wastewater on a larger scale.
Public Policy
Singapore passed the Trade Effluent Regulation in 1976 to
ensure all wastewater discharge undergoes extensive treatment. While many other
countries have similar requirements, Singapore has strictly enforced and
implemented its regulations. When waste from cattle farms became a
major source of contamination, Singapore enacted the Cattle Act to restrict the
rearing of cattle to certain areas.
By using an approach that collects water from four sources,
Singapore has been able to curtail its reliance on external water supplies and
institute an efficient, cost-effective, and equitable water management
strategy. Singapore’s four tap strategy will allow it to achieve self-sufficiency by 2060 as highlighted below.
By Trevor S.
