What We Have Learnt From This Trip To Lower Seletar Reservoir

After the learning journey to Lower Seletar Reservoir, we have learnt that conserving water is important as there is limited supply of fresh water and that only 1 percent of the total amount of water on the Earth is available for human consumption. As the world’s population constantly increases, the total supply of the fresh water on Earth will have to be shared among more people. The growth of agriculture will also lead to an increase in usage of water as water is used for watering of crops and rearing of livestock. 

To respond to the rising demand for water and the lack of water resources in Singapore, the Singapore government has set up catchment areas such as reservoirs which collect water from our abundant rainfall. Singapore uses the network of drains, canals, rivers, storm water collection ponds and reservoirs to collect rainwater before it is treated for drinking water supply. Increasing catchment areas will not only increase the amount of rainwater collected but also helps to keep the cost of the water treatment down as rainwater is cleaner than used water and does not contain salt unlike sea water. Hence, it is easier and less costly to purify.

We have also learnt about the four National Taps in Singapore. They are water from local catchment areas, imported water, reclaimed water known as NEWater and desalinated water. The government has also converted used water into usable water and used the process of removing salt from sea water which is known as desalination.

Practising water conservation helps the industries and households save money through reduced water bills and the government has less need to invest more money on water-related facilities such as pipelines. The Singapore government has done an efficient job in providing adequate fresh and clean water supply, however, Singaporeans must also play our part in conserving water to ensure the continuation of our active, beautiful and clean water supply.