we LOVE water!

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

1st Problem:
- Contract with Malaysia is ending soon

Solution:
- Singapore came up with the NEWater plan

2nd Problem:
- Some Singaporeans may think that NEWater comes from sewage water and did not want to consume it.

Solution:
- We can encourage them by holding campaigns and letting them know that NEWater is actually more pure than the current water that we use.

3rd Problem:
- Pollution in reservoirs

Solution:
- Signboard stating that: Impose a fine on pollutants (factories producing chemicals, people who throw rubbish into the reservoirs)

In conclusion, we must convince Singaporeans to know the importance of water as Singapore is a small country; lacking of water. Singaporeans also must learnt to conserve water. If a person can save just a little water (eg. when brushing their teeths), Singapore consisting of millions of people, can save a lot of water.

Learning Points:
- Importance of water
- The current situation Singapore is undergoing
- What has Singapore tried to ease the situation

water is PRECIOUS!

2:28 PM

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Hi! Walter here. I am going to talk about:
The new desalination technologies and other alternative sources to increase water supply in Singapore.

Singapore has been testing new desalination technologies which have the potential to increase water supply at lower cost.

First, is the membrane distillation technology uses waste heat released by incineration plant to boil sea water and collect the water vapor. The salt content in water produced this way can be reduced by 1,000 times while energy consumption is three times less than that used in reverse osmosis. A demonstration plant is expected to be built next year if everything goes well.

Another technology, the variable salinity system, can turn water from the sea, river, stream as well as rain water into potable water. A demonstration plant will be completed by the end of this year. (sorry couldn't find the photo)

These are major step towards reducing dependence on imported water from Malaysia.
"Singapore can be self-sufficient beyond 2061," said Ibrahim, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Yaacob, referring to the four national taps, including water from local catchment, imported water from Malaysia, NEWater and desalinated water, which will be enough to sustain the city state's growth and development.

Information from:
http://www.edu.cn/20060310/3177923.shtml

water is PRECIOUS!

11:14 AM

Friday, March 20, 2009

Hello, Jill here.

Im going to talk about:

Marina Reservoir

Marina Reservoir was officially opened on 31 October 2008. It was created with the completion of Marina Barrage. Managed by the Public Utilities Board (PUB), it is Singapore's 15th reservoir and first city reservoir. It is the largest of all the reservoir catchments.

History
The idea of building the reservoir came from Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew .In the documentary titled River Reborn, which examined the government's efforts to clean up Singapore River and Kallang River. Mr Lee spoke about his vision of putting a barrage at the mouth of Marina Channel to create a massive freshwater lake.

Description
Marina Reservoir plays an important role in helping Singapore to achieve self-sufficiency in its water supply by 2061, when the country's water agreements with Malaysia expire. The water in the reservoir is currently a mixture of seawater and freshwater, but the seawater will be flushed out into the sea gradually as more rainwater fills the reservoir. When the water becomes entirely freshwater by 2010 or 2011, it will be piped to water treatment plants where it will be processed into potable water. PUB has estimated that the reservoir will be able to meet more than 10% of Singapore's current water demand.

Because of the huge size of its catchment, it will not be able to store all the water supplied by its upstream waterways. However, instead of going to waste, the excess water will be channelled to Upper Peirce Reservoir for storage.

Marina Reservoir also serves as a new lifestyle attraction and enhances the vibrancy of the city. With the water in the reservoir kept at a constant level, a wide range of water sports can take place all year round. The reservoir also provides a scenic backdrop for recreational activities.

Managing Pollution
The Marina catchment is not only the largest, but it is also the most urbanised. It covers an extensive area that includes residential, industrial and commercial hubs. This means that more effort will be needed to minimise upstream pollution and ensure that the water that drains into the reservoir is clean.

Information from: http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_1388_2008-11-22.html

BYE ! :D

water is PRECIOUS!

6:55 PM

Hi, this is Edmund. This post is about the desalination used in Singapore. On the September 13, 2005, Singapore opened its first desalination plant by SingSpring, fully-owned subsidiary by Hyflux. It is located in Tuas and produces 30 million gallons of water every day. It costs 200 million dollars and meets 10 percent of the water needs in Singapore. Bottled water Desal H2O is also produced by the plant.

So, how does water desalination works? Let me tell you the answer.

At the desalination plant, seawater is forced through with microscopic pores to extract dissolved salts. After dousing the seawater with chemicals that coagulate the particles, silt is removed. Thank you.

The information can be found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_resources_of_Singapore

water is PRECIOUS!

5:08 PM

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Hello. This is Weiting. This post is about Singapore NEWater.
Most Singaporeans should know what it is. :)

NEWater is Singapore's 3rd national tap. The 2nd national tap is imported water from Malaysia. The main purpose of having NEWater was to become another source of water to supply the deficiency of Singapore's water supply.

Let me briefly tell what is the process of NEWater.

NEWater has a high grade quality which it is very clean and safe to drink. It is treated used water that has gone through multiple barriers water reclamation process.

The first barrier is the conventional waste water treatment process where the used water is treated to globally recognised standards in the Water Reclamation Plants.

The second barrier is the first stage of the NEWater production process, known as Microfiltration. The water will pass through membranes to filter out unwanted particles, and will only contain dissolved salts and organic molecules after filtering.

The second stage of the NEWater production process, also the third barrier is known as Reverse Osmosis, using semi-permeable membrane. The water will be free from unwanted contaminants such as viruses and bacteria and contains very low levels of salts and organic matters after going through the membrane.

The third stage of the NEWater production process, also as the fourth barrier will use ultraviolet UV disinfection to ensure the purity of the water.

NEWater will be added with some alkaline chemicals to have the pH balance restored and the water can be used or drink. :D

I got the information from the website below:

http://www.pub.gov.sg/newater/newatertech/Pages/default.aspx

water is PRECIOUS!

5:52 PM

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

MARINA BARRAGE!

Officially opened on 31 October/1 November 2008.
It separates the water in Marina Basin from the seawater.
It has been considered an engineering marvel because of its magnitude and complexity, and it was the subject of an August 2008 episode of Discovery Channel's Man Made Marvels Asia.
Objectives:
create a new source of water supply
-Local catchment water is one of the Four National Taps, with the other three being imported water, NEWater and desalinated water.
-As one of the pillars of local water supply, Marina Reservoir will meet more than 10% of Singapore’s current water demand.

act as a tool for flood control
-to alleviate flooding in low lying areas in the city, such as China Town, Boat Quay
-Series of nine crest gates at the dam will be activated to release excess storm water into the sea when the tide is low, during heavy rain.
-In case of high tide, giant pumps which are capable of pumping an Olympics-size swimming pool per minute will drain excess storm water into the sea.

provide a new lifestyle attraction
-the water level is kept constant throughout the year, thus, ideal for all kinds of recreational activities eg. dragon boating & kayaking.

http://www.p3planningengineer.com/mb_open/mb%20brief.htm
(project brief on the construction of marina barrage)

-xinyi (:

water is PRECIOUS!

12:03 PM

Monday, March 16, 2009

Hello hello, Dawn here. :D I had researched on Singapore's 1st national tap. Here it is.

Singapore's 1st national tap comes from a local catchment area. Singapore is a small island with little land to collect rainwater. Thus, Singapore needs to increase the amount of water to be gathered.

The Marina Reservoir, 15th reservoir, has the biggest and most urbanized catchment at 10000 hectares which is one sixth of Singapore. The 15th reservoir and the 1st reservoir formed the Marina Barrage.

When Marina, Punggol and Serangoon Reservoirs are completed in 2011, the local water catchment area will be increased to two thirds of Singapore.

Other than having this plan, citizens should also do their part by not littering while, construction companies can decrease the amount of silt released from their worksites.

I got my information from here. :D Thats all for today, bye bye. :D

water is PRECIOUS!

10:56 AM