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COMMITTEE OF SUPPLY DEBATE
THURSDAY, MARCH 12, 2015
MINISTRY OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND WATER RESOURCES
Third desalination plant to be built
Move to meet rising needs but water
supply expansion not infinite: Vivian
By FENG ZENGKUN
ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT
SINGAPORE will build a desalination plant in Tuas to treat more
seawater, to meet the country’s
growing water needs.
Announcing this yesterday in
Parliament during the debate on
his ministry’s budget, Minister for
the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan said
the new plant will also help to tide
Singapore over dry spells.
He noted that Singapore had experienced dry spells last year as
well as reduced rain this year.
“We need to prepare for periods
of drought and dry spells in future,” he said. Singapore currently uses about 400 million gallons
of water a day, but this could almost double by the year 2060.
The new desalination plant will
be the third in the country when it
is completed in 2017.
With it, Singapore will be able
to produce up to 130 million gal-
lons of water a day from seawater, up from the current maximum of 100 million gallons a day.
The Government is considering
building more desalination plants.
Desalinated water, or treated
seawater, now meets up to 25 per
cent of current water demand and
is expected to continue to meet up
to 25 per cent of demand by 2060.
Newater, which is treated used
water, is slated to meet up to 55
per cent of Singapore’s water demand by 2060, up from as much
as 30 per cent now. Singapore’s
two other national taps are treated rainwater and water imported
from Malaysia, but the agreement
with Malaysia will expire in 2061.
Dr Balakrishnan noted, howev-
MINISTRY OF THE
ENVIRONMENT AND
WATER RESOURCES
FY2015 Budget
$1.8 billion
Up by 17.3 per cent
er, that Singapore’s water supply
cannot be expanded infinitely, so
Singaporeans should help to conserve water.
The Government may have to
impose water restrictions during
prolonged dry spells and
droughts, such as making it illegal
for people to use water to wash
cars, so it is now studying whether it needs to refine existing legislation, he added.
Separately, national water agency PUB is calling a tender to study
the feasibility of using underground space, such as rock caverns, for the redevelopment of its
water reclamation plant and Newater factory in Kranji.
The plant and factory are expected to be redeveloped and expanded around the year 2030, as
part of the integrated used water
system consisting of the Changi,
Tuas and Kranji water reclamation plants in east, west and north
Singapore respectively.
“The relocation of utilities infrastructure underground has the
potential to free up surface land
for other uses, and create a more
pleasant living environment for
people to live, work and play
above ground,” PUB said.
The feasibility study is expected to be completed by next year,
and will look at the challenges of
constructing and operating a
plant in an underground cavern.
These include the need for
back-up systems for power,
odour control, air ventilation and
other mechanical systems. Designs to cope with potential floods
or fires will also be needed.
[email protected]
Two pilot
programmes to
recycle food waste
SINGAPORE will embark on two
pilot programmes this year to encourage more people to recycle
their food waste, said Second Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Grace Fu in Parliament yesterday, during the debate
on her ministry’s budget.
In a two-year trial, two hawker
centres will each get a recycling
machine to convert their food
waste and leftover food into compost or water.
The National Environment
Agency (NEA) will show the hawkers and cleaners how to segregate
the food waste properly so it can
be recycled. The two centres will
be announced later.
The Government will also start
a district-level food-waste recycling trial in Clementi, said Ms
Fu, who is also Minister in the
Prime Minister’s Office.
This will help the Government
to see if it is economically viable
to collect food waste from shopping malls, schools, hospitals, office buildings and other places,
and treat all of it off-site at a centralised recycling facility.
Clementi was chosen as it is
near the Ulu Pandan Water Reclamation Plant, where the food
waste will be recycled. The pilot
will look at the feasibility of recovering energy from food waste and
used-water sludge at the plant.
Several MPs spoke yesterday
about the need to tackle the growing mountain of food waste.
About 788,600 tonnes of food
were thrown away last year, slightly less than the 796,000 tonnes in
2013 but still much more than the
606,100 tonnes in 2009.
Only 13 per cent of last year’s
waste was recycled, even though
food now accounts for about 10
per cent of all waste in Singapore.
“Food wastage is never good,
but it is even worse in Singapore,
where we import 90 per cent of
all we eat,” said Mr Seah Kian
Peng (Marine Parade GRC).
Mr Yeo Guat Kwang (Ang Mo
Kio GRC) said most of the food
waste is generated by businesses.
He noted that a study by Nanyang Technological University students had found the majority of
the waste is created by wholesalers and retailers who discard fruit
and vegetables with blemishes.
“Another major contributor of
food waste is the food and beverage industry where the industrial
practice is to produce more than
what can be sold,” he added.
Last year, the Agri-Food and
Veterinary Authority of Singapore
and NEA commissioned a survey
to find out people’s perceptions,
behaviour and attitudes towards
food wastage.
Ms Fu also said yesterday that
more will be done to tackle electrical and electronic waste, which is
a growing concern.
The NEA will form a national
voluntary e-waste recycling partnership programme to bring producers, retailers, recyclers and
others together to raise awareness
and to provide better recycling infrastructure.
The Government is considering
restricting the use of hazardous
substances in certain electrical
and electronic equipment, and is
also looking at options for a regulated system to treat and recycle
both waste streams.
FENG ZENGKUN
An employee at Fairmont Singapore emptying food waste into the Eco-Wiz Dry System recycling machine which converts about 5 per cent of the 100kg of food
waste it processes daily into compost for the hotel’s herb garden. The rest is turned into liquid. ST PHOTO: ONG WEE JIN
Recycling machine turns hotels’ food waste into compost for garden
EACH day, the Fairmont
Singapore and Swissotel the
Stamford hotels recycle about
100kg of their combined food
waste using an on-site recycling
machine.
The hotels are next to each
other in the City Hall area.
They have their own kitchens
but also share one kitchen,
where they installed the
recycling machine in 2012.
The Eco-Wiz Dry System
Model DV100 cost $37,500, but
has helped them to cut back on
the food that is thrown away.
The machine converts about
5 per cent of the food waste it
processes into compost.
This is used as fertiliser in
the hotels’ herb garden, or by
food recycling firm Eco-Wiz in
planting experiments at its
education centre.
The rest of the waste is
turned into liquid.
“The machine can process all
food types, but we refrain from
feeding in onions and citrus
foods,” said Mr Robert Stirrup,
executive chef of both hotels.
The acidity of onions and
citrus foods in the converted
fertiliser affects the soil in the
herb garden, he explained.
“We also try not to feed the
machine shells and bones as
they take a much longer time to
process,” he said.
To reduce their food
wastage, the hotels also donate
food to local charity Food From
The Heart, which distributes
food to the less fortunate.
They also reuse egg shells as
a base for composting in the
herb garden.
FENG ZENGKUN
‘Clean your own neighbourhood day’ as part of anti-littering drive
By AUDREY TAN
EVERY year, town councils are going to set aside one day when residents will clean their own neighbourhoods. This is part of a plan
to battle the ever-mounting litter
problem.
Other steps to be taken include
officers
of
the
National
Environment Agency (NEA) being
kitted out with body-worn camer-
as – like those used by the police
– to capture abuse and attacks by
people.
“We will also make it easier for
members of the public to submit
video or photographic evidence
which
we
can
use
for
investigation and prosecution,”
Minister for the Environment and
Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan said in Parliament yesterday,
when he announced a raft of antilittering measures being consid-
ered by his ministry, which oversees the NEA.
It is also looking at ways to get
people to clean up after themselves at major events, including
this year’s National Day Parade.
“Spectators and participants
will be encouraged to clean up the
Padang at the end of each show
and its fringe celebrations... as a
reflection of our national pride.”
These moves are prompted by
the attention drawn to the issue in
January, following Facebook posts
from three politicians, including
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
They had commented on the appalling amount of rubbish left behind by about 13,000 concertgoers at the Laneway Festival at
Gardens by the Bay.
Yesterday, Dr Balakrishnan
said the standard of cleanliness
has fallen, with his ministry’s surveys showing that from 2006 to
2010, the litter observed or collect-
ed had almost doubled.
The cleaning bill for public places comes to a projected $120 million a year, with some hot spots
being cleaned once every two
hours, he added.
Responding to Ms Lee Bee Wah
(Nee Soon GRC), he said the
NEA’s Community Volunteer
Scheme will no longer be just for
volunteers of non-governmental
organisations such as the Waterways Watch Society and Singa-
MINISTRY OF
CULTURE, COMMUNITY
AND YOUTH
Identify, celebrate what
it is to be S’porean: Baey
pore Kindness Movement.
Others can join as well, and all
volunteers will get the same training as new NEA officers, giving
them “similar status and authority as a regular NEA officer”, he
said, adding that the laws will be
amended later.
“We must become more like
Japan and Taiwan, where it is peer
pressure and role modelling that
set the standard,” he added.
[email protected]
MINISTRY OF CULTURE, COMMUNITY AND YOUTH
Malay/Muslim MPs ask
about families, education
By NUR ASYIQIN
MOHAMAD SALLEH
SIX Malay/Muslim MPs yesterday
sought
updates
on
the
community’s efforts to uplift itself and strengthen its families,
with some concerned about how
it can cope with issues such as
high divorce rates and debt.
They wanted to know how
steps taken by community groups
to help different layers of society,
from giving pre-schoolers a headstart to helping adults upgrade
their skills, were faring.
They also had questions about
the curricula of kindergartens in
mosques, and the disbursement of
zakat, or tithe, contributions.
Associate Professor Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim (Nee Soon
GRC) asked for updates on education and development programmes for young people.
“The community has a large
youth base, and they are an asset
to us,” he said. “If developed
well, these youths present opportunities for us to develop a community of excellence for future
generations.”
Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar (Ang
Mo Kio GRC) asked how self-help
group Mendaki planned to get
more involved in early childhood
education, while Dr Fatimah
Lateef (Marine Parade GRC) wanted to know if its training arm,
Mendaki Sense, could help adults
seeking to upgrade their skills
build up their training portfolio.
Dr Fatimah also asked about
the “relatively high” divorce rates
in the Malay/Muslim community,
and programmes to strengthen
families. Figures show that 1,662
Muslim couples split up in 2013.
The financial health of the community was raised by Mr Zainudin
FY2015 Budget
$2.7 billion
Up by 39.8 per cent
Nordin (Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC),
who spoke about how households
can be taught to better manage finances.
He said: “Good financial planning remains a key to maintaining
strong and resilient families.
Debts open doors to social problems and vices.”
Mr Faisal Manap (Aljunied
GRC) asked about zakat spending,
and where leftover funds go towards.
Minister-in-charge of Muslim
Affairs Yaacob Ibrahim will respond to these queries when the
debate continues today.
[email protected]
By CHARISSA YONG
AS SINGAPORE celebrates its
50th year of independence, it is
important to identify what defines its people as Singaporeans,
said Mr Baey Yam Keng (Tampines GRC) yesterday in Parliament.
“What reaches and touches the
mind, heart and soul of Singaporeans and binds Singaporeans to
Singapore? It cannot be something we do or evoke a celebratory
mood every 50 years, or even every year during National Day,” he
said, as he kicked off the debate
on the budget of the Ministry of
Culture, Community and Youth.
Noting that it was natural for
Singaporeans to be swept up in
the mood of SG50 celebrations, he
said it was important to channel
these positive energies into building a stronger, more united Singa-
pore for the next 50 years.
“What we do today on the occasion of SG50 will define the future
of Singapore,” said Mr Baey.
The national identities of many
citizens of other countries are tied
with their racial and cultural identities, he said.
But many Singaporeans are descendants of immigrants, with
some of mixed parentage, and so
“our racial and cultural identities
are actually distinct”, he noted.
“Yet, we have to embrace and
accept all as part and parcel of being Singaporean,” he said, adding
that as a result, Singapore as a
country does not seem to have
anything that is very distinctive
culturally.
What Singapore does have –
such as Singlish – have gained
recognition only recently, said the
chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Cul-
Mr Baey Yam Keng says what we do
today on the occasion of SG50 will
define the future of Singapore.
ture, Community and Youth.
Singling out other “uniquely
Singaporean” facets that deserve
to be celebrated, he cited the xinyao genre of local Chinese songs,
which exemplifies a ground-up
“passion and pursuit of people
with ideas and creativity”.
Getai performances represent
“street life, coffee shop talk, what
an average Singaporean does every day”, added Mr Baey.
[email protected]