The Story of Singapore Water

BIBLIOASIA APR – JUN 2018 Vol. 14 / Issue 01 / Feature Despite being rudimentary, the reservoir in 1877, exactly 20 years after Tan Kim Municipal Engineer James MacRitchie had an aqueduct that carried water to a Seng’s philanthropic gesture. Located off decided that the best course of action plaster-lined tank sited at the edge of the Thomson Road, the reservoir comprised a was to enlarge the Impounding Reservoir. Singapore River.4 The tank had a spout so catchment area of about 1,890 acres and Carried out between 1891 and 1894 and that skiffs (small boats) dispatched by the a conduit made of masonry that could at a cost of 32,000 Straits dollars, the larger ships anchored in the harbour could transport water to within 200 feet of the expansion works increased the capacity pull up beneath the spout to collect water.5 Singapore River.10 of the reservoir.12 The reservoir remained as the Managed by the Municipal Council, the However, the enlarged reservoir could island’s main water supply until the 1830s reservoir used gravity rather than pumps barely meet with the increased demand when demand exceeded its capacity. It to distribute the water. As a result, the during prolonged periods of dry weather. To was subsequently replaced by a system municipality had to construct a number relieve the pressure, the municipality had to of wells that were dug around the hill. of service reservoirs on high ground such curtail water supply to as few as two hours As demand for water continued to as hilltops. Water from the Impounding per day. It also resorted to supplementing grow in tandem with Singapore’s develop- Reservoir would flow to a pumping station the water supply with well water despite ment as a trading port, the British real- at the foot of the hill before being sent up its inferior quality.13 ised that using wells to supply water to to the service reservoir and distributed In 1905, the Impounding Reservoir's visiting vessels was unsustainable as the to households. The first of such service embankment was raised to further low water rate – at a piddling four gallons reservoirs was built on Mount Emily in increase its capacity. To obtain the addi- per minute – was too slow. This meant 1878, followed by Pearl's Hill in 1898 and tional water, a tunnel was dug to connect that ships had to wait for several hours Fort Canning in 1928.11 the reservoir to Kallang River. While the before they could fully replenish their By the end of the 1900s, Singapore’s construction of the tunnel was still under- water supply. Those whose patience wore daily water consumption had surged to way, Municipal Engineer Robert Peirce thin resorted to obtaining contaminated 4.5 million gallons. This was due to the proposed constructing an embankment water from the Kallang River.6 booming population as well as the growth across the valley of Kallang River to cre- of New Harbour (now Keppel Harbour). ate a second reservoir in 1902.14 The First Reservoirs In 1823, the British Resident John Craw- furd proposed spending 1,000 Spanish dollars to build a new reservoir, but this Water has and will always be a precious did not materialise. In 1852, the Govern- resource in Singapore. In 2015, the ment Surveyor and Engineer John Turn- Washington-based World Resources bull Thomson suggested drawing water Institute identified the city-state as one from the “Singapore Creek” – an early wof 33 out of 167 countries most likely to reference to the Singapore River. The face extremely high water stress by 2040.1 lack of government support and public To help overcome the absence of natural interest, however, scotched this plan. Five water bodies, the government has come years later, in 1857, the idea of having a up with innovative ways to expand and proper reservoir resurfaced again when diversify Singapore’s water resources. Tan Kim Seng, a wealthy Straits Chinese Over the decades, PUB, Singapore’s merchant, donated 13,000 Straits dollars national water agency, has created a sus- to the local government to improve the tainable supply from four sources: water town’s water supply.7 from local catchment, imported water, Tan’s offer could not have come at high-grade reclaimed water (known as a better time: the population had grown NEWater) and desalinated water.2 Together, eightfold from 10,683 in 1824 to 81,734 The Story of Singapore Water these four sources, termed the “Four in 1860, and in their desperation, people National Taps”, have come a long way in turned to contaminated wells and streams helping Singapore meet its water needs. for their water needs.8 With Tan’s dona- tion, the government began making plans Early Water Supplies in January 1858 for a new reservoir and waterworks. But when cost estimates bal- Securing a sustainable water supply is looned to 100,000 Straits dollars, the Bengal From a hole in the ground to running water at key to Singapore’s development, a fact Presidency in Calcutta, which administered the turn of the tap. Lim Tin Seng tells us how recognised by the British since the time of the British colonies in the Far East, refused Stamford Raffles. One of the reasons why to sanction the project. The reservoir and far Singapore has come in its search for water. the British chose Singapore as a trading waterworks were put on hold until 1862 (Facing page) Children splashing themselves with water at a standpipe in a village in Geylang Serai, post was its access to fresh water. In fact, when the Bengal government agreed to 1960s. The government installed standpipes to provide water to residents who had no taps in their homes. digging a well for drinking water was among fund half the project.9 The remaining half Courtesy of National Archives of Singapore. the first tasks ordered by Raffles when he was raised through a loan in 1864. (Top) The service reservoir on Mount Emily as photographed by G.R. Lambert & Co., c.1880s. It was built in 1878 to receive water from the Impounding Reservoir in Thomson Road and distribute it to households. 3 Lim Tin Seng is a Librarian with the National Library, Singapore. He is the co-editor of Roots: landed in Singapore on 28 January 1819. The new Impounding Reservoir Courtesy of National Museum of Singapore, National Heritage Board. Tracing Family Histories – A Resource Guide (2013), Harmony and Development: ASEAN- Eight months later, the British com- (renamed Thomson Road Reservoir (Above) Thomson Road Reservoir c.1910. Known as the Impounding Reservoir when it began operations China Relations (2009) and China’s New Social Policy: Initiatives for a Harmonious Society pleted building a reservoir near the foot of in 1907 and thereafter as MacRitchie in 1877, it was renamed Thomson Road Reservoir in 1907 and MacRitchie Reservoir in 1922. Lim Kheng (2010). He is also a regular contributor to BiblioAsia. Bukit Larangan (now Fort Canning Hill). Reservoir in 1922) began operations Chye Collection, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore. 50 51 BIBLIOASIA APR – JUN 2018 Vol. 14 / Issue 01 / Feature Kallang Reservoir – renamed Peirce The Central Catchment Nature Reserve occupies over 2,000 hectares of forest and is home to a rich ments for at least 20 years. However, gapore by adding at least 20 million gallons Reservoir in 1922 and Lower Peirce Reser- biodiversity of flora and fauna. MacRitchie, Upper Seletar, Upper Peirce and Lower Peirce reservoirs are the introduction of a waterborne sew- of water to the colony’s daily supply. This voir in 1975 – was officially opened in 1911 at located within the reserve. Photo by Richard W.J. Koh. age system and an increase in British brought the daily total supply to at least 56 a cost of around one million Straits dollars. troops in Singapore led to an unexpected million gallons, surpassing the daily con- Capable of producing at least 3.5 million surge in water consumption to 25 million sumption of 52 million gallons. Initially, the gallons of water each day, the new reservoir gallons a day by 1940. In response, the City Council wanted to expand the Tebrau together with the enlarged Thomson Road Municipal Council embarked on a plan waterworks, but the winding down of the Reservoir (known as Impounding Reservoir in 1939 to turn Seletar into a permanent Communist-related Emergency from the until 1907), supplied the town of Singapore reservoir with a daily yield of at least late 1950s allowed the Johor River scheme with 9 million gallons of water daily.15 4 million gallons. The project, which to be revived in 1958 and finalised in 1961.27 While the two reservoirs provided cost 5.6 million Straits dollars, also When the new waterworks at Johor enough water in the first decade of the involved the construction of a second River began operations in 1968, at least 1900s, there were concerns whether this Pontian Kechil-Gunong Pulai water pipe 30 million gallons of water were delivered was sustainable, especially since the popu- to increase capacity. With these improve- daily to Singapore. While the authorities lation had swelled from 300,000 in 1910 to ments, Singapore’s daily water supply were planning the Johor River scheme, almost 420,000 in 1920. During the same increased to over 31 million gallons.22 they also built another waterworks at recognised its heavy dependence on Johor period, the average daily consumption of The continued rise in population – Scudai River in 1965. for water. This was evident during the water had risen to over 10 million gallons, from 570,000 in 1940 to nearly a million in Known as Sultan Ismail Waterworks, Malayan Campaign when the water supply beyond the capacity of the two reservoirs.16 1947 – again cast a spotlight on Singapore’s it provided Singapore with another 30 from Johor was abruptly cut in January Peirce warned that the water situation water woes.23 Since the daily water supply million gallons of water each day.

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