Impact of Telecommuting by Employees at Water Plants on Singapore's Water Supply Adequacy
Ministry of Sustainability and the EnvironmentSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns the adequacy of Singapore's water supply and the impact of telecommuting on water plant operations during the pandemic. Mr Seah Kian Peng asked whether plant capacity was maintained and if staff arrangements compromised the quality of the water supply. Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli B M M assured that the diversified "Four National Taps" provide a robust supply and that the Public Utilities Board has activated business continuity plans. He explained that essential water services continue normal operations through split-team arrangements, staggered hours, and rigorous safe management measures. The Minister concluded that daily sampling confirms water quality remains compliant with national regulations and World Health Organization guidelines.
Transcript
27 Mr Seah Kian Peng asked the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (a) whether he can assure Singaporeans that our water supply is adequate and that the water plants are continuing to run at full capacity; and (b) what is the percentage of staff at these water plants who are on telecommuting and whether this compromises the quality of our water supply.
Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: Singapore enjoys a diversified and robust supply of water, due to years of continued planning and investments in our water infrastructure. Water from local catchment and imported water, together with weather-resilient sources namely NEWater and desalinated water, make up Singapore's "Four National Taps".
Under the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Control Order) Regulations 2020, the supply of water was amongst the essential services allowed to operate during the Circuit Breaker period. Since early February 2020, Public Utilities Board (PUB) has activated business continuity plans to ensure that all our water plants continue to operate as per normal.
PUB has implemented Safe Management Measures in accordance to the Ministry of Manpower's guidelines at the plants and work sites. These include regular temperature screenings, physical spacing of at least one metre between persons at all times and wearing of masks. PUB has also stepped up the cleaning of work sites to ensure that equipment shared between different employees across different shifts or teams are cleaned and disinfected at the end of each shift. In addition, PUB has staggered working and lunch hours, and implemented split team arrangements to reduce congregation of our employees.
As part of its comprehensive water sampling and monitoring programme, PUB has also continued to collect and test water samples from our reservoirs, waterworks distribution systems to customers' taps daily. The quality of our drinking water continues to comply with the Environmental Public Health (Water Suitable for Drinking) Regulations 2019 and are well within the World Health Organization (WHO) Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality.
Singaporeans can be assured that they will continue to enjoy good quality drinking water from the tap during this period. I thank PUB officers for their continued dedication especially during the Circuit Breaker period.