SINGAPORE: The government is revising Singapore's water pricing
structure and this could be introduced next year.
Responding to questions on Singapore's water policies in Parliament
on Tuesday, Minister for Environment and Water Resources Dr Yaacob
Ibrahim said Singapore has been pricing water to reflect its
scarcity and the high incremental costs of additional water
supplies.
Potable water and used water are also priced separately.
But with NEWater, used water is channelled back into the
system.
Dr Yaacob explained: "With the development of NEWater, we have now
closed the water loop by channelling and treating used water for
consumption purposes. As potable water and used water are now part
of the same water loop, it is timely to view both as a single
product. We will therefore consider moving towards charging a
single price, as this better reflects the holistic manner in which
we manage our water resources."
As for the Water Conservation Tax, the Minister said this is
charged to encourage prudent use of water and is still
relevant.
Dr Yaacob added: "An important aspect of our pricing reviews has
always been the impact on users. We will therefore study carefully
the effect of pricing changes to the water bills of all household
types, including those with large families. We will strive to
minimise the impact on households such that on average, water users
will not be worse off with the revised price structure."
In the past year, Singapore's per capita domestic water consumption
has fallen from 160 litres a day in 2005 to 158 litres last
year.
This follows several initiatives to promote water
conservation.
With NEWater and desalination coming onstream to boost water
supply, Dr Yaacob said Singapore has enough water.
But he also emphasised that this is only sustainable if
Singaporeans continue to use water wisely.
Dr Yaacob also announced that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will
open the country's fourth and largest NEWater plant next Thursday,
March 15.
The plant in Ulu Pandan has a production capacity of 32 million
gallons a day.
- CNA/so
Is water bill going to increase?????
