SINGAPORE : Tunnelling work for Singapore's S$7 billion Deep
Tunnel Sewerage System has been completed.
Speaking at the completion ceremony on Monday, Minister for the
Environment and Water Resources, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, says this marks
a crucial milestone in the Public Utilities Board's strategy to
ensure a sustainable supply of water for Singapore.
The project involves building two tunnels - the North Tunnel, which
is a 48-kilometre long sewer tunnel running from Kranji to Changi,
and the Spur tunnel - to cater for further expansion of the
system.
Together with its component link sewers, it will eventually allow
for more than half of Singapore's used water to be directed to the
Changi Water Reclamation Plant for treatment.
The effluent will then be discharged through the deep sea outfall
into the Straits of Singapore.
Dr Yaacob says although Singapore is 100 percent sewered, as it
grows and urbanises, more pumping stations will need to be built
and water reclamation plants expanded to collect and treat the used
water.
As this takes up precious land space and requires the set up of
costly equipment for a high standard of water reclamation, in time
to come, the entire sewerage system may become unsustainable.
The Deep Tunnel Sewerage System, to be ready by 2015, is based on
the concept that used water can be conveyed through deep tunnels,
using the natural force of gravity, to two centralised water
reclamation plants.
This would free up land currently used to site the existing six
water reclamation plants and 130 pumping stations, as well as the
buffer land surrounding these plants.
At the same time, the centralisation of used water treatment at two
water reclamation plants will be more cost effective in the long
run.
It will also allow for the channelling of used water to NEWater
factories. - CNA