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Public Utilities Board

Sunday, April 19, 2009 6:25 AM

Public Utilities Board

Background

The Public Utilities Board (PUB), the national water authority in Singapore, is responsible for providing an adequate and reliable supply of potable water. The water supply system that PUB manages comprises 14 raw water reservoirs, six water treatment plants, 14 storage reservoirs, and about 4,800 kilometers of pipelines. In 2000, PUB serviced more than four million people and averaged sales of 1.24 million m3 of water per day.

Motivation

Because Singapore, a small island nation, has limited natural resources, including water, the nation has made water management one of its top priorities. The rapid industrial, economic, and social developments in Singapore have resulted in a sharp increase in water demand. In 1950, when the population was a little more than a million, the demand for potable water was 142,000 m3 per day. By 1995 the population had gone up by about three times, but water demand increased by more than eight times to 1.19 million m3 a day. In 1989–95, Singapore’s water demand grew at about 3.5 percent a year. PUB recognizes that development of new water sources and water demand management must be carried out simultaneously to use water efficiently and achieve long-term solutions.

Methodology

To address concerns about increasing water consumption, in the past 20 years, PUB has developed a comprehensive water demand management plan. The plan has adopted a two pronged approach—first, efficient management of its water supplies from the source through to its distribution system and, second, implementation of water conservation measures.

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About the Program

Overview

Some of the water utility efficiency initiatives focused on decreasing the percentage of unaccounted for water (UFW), implementing public education and publicity programs on water conservation, and encouraging water recycling and the use of nonpotable water, such as industrial water and seawater, where applicable, as a substitute for potable water.

A) Unaccounted For Water

In the 1980s, to reduce the percentage of UFW, PUB began intensifying its efforts by implementing various measures, which are broadly categorized as leakage control, full and accurate metering policy, proper accounting of water used, and legal enforcement to prevent illegal drawoffs.

Under the leakage control program, PUB promoted the use of better quality pipes and fittings, pipe renewal, intensive detection of leaks, and minimizing response time to repair leaks in the water distribution system. The pipe renewal program involved replacing 181 km of old, unlined cast iron mains and 68,400 galvanized iron connecting pipes between 1984 and 1993. In a 10 year period (1985–95), this effort reduced pipe leaks from 18,085 to 4,543. PUB has continued its program to renew mains. PUB has recently embarked on a 5 year program to replace old pipelines beyond 50 years of age. The program, to be completed in 2004, will replace a total of 280 km of old pipelines. For more comprehensive and accurate detection of leak locations, PUB acquired high quality devices, such as stethoscopes, geophones, electronic leak detectors, and leak noise correlators. PUB was able to carry out approximately 620 day inspections and 280 leak detection night tests covering the entire distribution system in the course of 1 year. Since the beginning of 2001, PUB has introduced leak noise localizers, which are able to identify suspected leak zones without carrying out tedious step tests.

All water supplied from the waterworks and all the water consumed by customers is 100 percent metered. To ensure accurate readings of large customers’ water consumption, PUB invested in high quality metering equipment, such as compound meters. This comprehensive metering effort has helped PUB to bill customers and lower UFW accurately.

Significant quantities of water are used in the commissioning and filling of new mains, connections, and service reservoirs; for cleaning and flushing during maintenance of the water distribution system; and for fire fighting. To avoid improper accounting of water used for such purposes, that is, UFW, PUB has put in place a monthly reporting system that ensures the correct designation of water used.

In addition, due to legislation and stringent enforcement measure, Singapore has few cases of illegal drawoffs. A would be offender would face a fine of $50,000 (US$27,600) or imprisonment for up to 3 years.

B) Water Conservation Measures

A water conservation plan has also been in place since 1981 to check Singapore’s growing water demand and ensure that water is being used efficiently. The various measures implemented under the plan are continually being reviewed and new measures introduced. Aspects covered under the plan include:

Public education and publicity programs
Mandatory installation of water saving devices
Water audits for and encouragement of water recycling practices by customers
Use of nonpotable water, such as industrial water and seawater, as a substitute for potable water to the extent possible.

The public education and publicity program is an ongoing activity to educate the public on the importance of water conservation and the need to save water. The program covers a range of activities targeted at various groups of customers, such as households, industries, and schools. Activities include visits to waterworks, conducting water conservation talks at schools, holding “save water” exhibitions in community centers, and distributing “Save Water” leaflets to all households. In addition, the education system has been identified as a useful platform to educate the young on the importance of saving water, especially during their impressionable years. The program invited teachers to attend seminars on water conservation so that they can disseminate the water conservation message to their pupils and fellow teachers. Teachers received detective kits and booklets that explain the importance of using water wisely; these will assist teachers in the education process and, more important, help convey the message that saving water must be a lifelong habit for everyone. In some years, Save Water Campaigns were also organized when necessary to remind the public of the need to save water. The latest campaign in 1998 focused on effecting behavioral change in water use.

Management and Development Team

The Water Conservation Unit is tasked with implementing the various measures of the water conservation plan. Since the unit was set up in 1979, it has worked closely with the Public Relations Division under the guidance of senior management to promote water conservation in all sectors of the economy. Besides the unit’s staff, other PUB staff also help spread the water conservation message when dealing with the general public.

Outcome

A) Reduction of Unaccounted For Water

PUB uses UFW as a measure of the efficiency of its water supply system and, consequently, its water demand programs. In 1989–95, UFW dropped from 10.6 to 6.2 percent, generating an estimated savings of about $47 million (US$26 million). This otherwise lost revenue offset any programmatic investment costs and deferred investment in new capital projects.

B) Effectiveness of Save Water Campaigns and Sustained Publicity Program

In 1996 PUB conducted a survey to gather feedback from the public. More than 90 percent of the people interviewed were aware of the need to save water. Such surveys serve as a useful channel for feedback ascertaining the effectiveness of the campaigns and helping to determine the focus of subsequent campaigns. Based on information gathered in the 1996 survey, the focus of the Save Water Campaign held in 1998 shifted from creating awareness about the need to save water to effecting behavioral change in water use. The results of a followup survey carried out in 1999 showed that 93 percent of the people surveyed have to various degrees been encouraged to conserve water. In addition, 84 percent of the people surveyed had actually made an effort to conserve water. The campaigns and publicity programs carried out have thus proved successful in both creating awareness of the need to save water and effecting behavioral change.

Reducing demand for water is as important as developing new sources of supply. Provided Singaporeans conserve water, these long term measures will ensure that we will always have enough water for our essential needs.

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