Water supply and sanitation in Singapore
| Singapore: Water and Sanitation | ||
|---|---|---|
| Data | ||
| Access to an improved water source | 100% | |
| Access to improved sanitation | 100% | |
| Continuity of supply (%) | 100 | |
| Average urban water use (liter/capita/day) | 148 (2016) | |
| Average urban domestic water and sewer tariff per m3 | US$2.00 (S$2.74, 2023, for a consumption of 10m3 per month) | |
| Share of household metering | 100% | |
| Annual investment in water supply and sanitation | US$609 million (2010), or $117/capita/year | |
| Financing | Self-financing through retained earnings, debt financing through bonds and project finance for desalination | |
| Institutions | ||
| Decentralization | No | |
| National water and sanitation company | Public Utilities Board (PUB) | |
| Water and sanitation regulator | Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment | |
| Responsibility for policy setting | Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment | |
| Sector law | ||
| Number of urban service providers | 1 | |
Water supply and sanitation in Singapore are intricately linked to the historical development of Singapore. It is characterised by a number of outstanding achievements in a challenging environment with geographical limitations. Access to water in Singapore is universal, affordable, efficient and of high quality.
Innovative hydraulic engineering and integrated water management approaches such as the reuse of reclaimed water, the establishment of protected areas in urban rainwater catchments and the use of estuaries as freshwater reservoirs have been introduced along with seawater desalination in order to reduce the country's dependence on untreated imported water.
As a result of such efforts, Singapore has achieved self-sufficiency with its water supply since the mid-2010s. Examples include its "Four National Taps" for its water supply. Five desalination plants have been opened throughout the country since 2003, which in total are able to produce a maximum capacity of approximately 195,000 million imperial gallons (890,000,000 m3) per day.
Singapore's approach does not simply rely on physical infrastructure, but it also emphasises proper legislation and enforcement, water pricing, public education as well as research and development. In 2007, Singapore's water and sanitation utility, the Public Utilities Board, received the Stockholm Industry Water Award for its holistic approach to water resources management.
Singapore was also the first country in Asia to institute a comprehensive fluoridation programme which covers the entirety of its population. The water was fluoridated at 0.7 ppm using sodium silicofluoride.