Topic: WATER
All life forms are dependent on water in order to survive. Water is necessary to produce food, products and for consumption. Earth is made up of mainly water yet only 3% are fresh water and they consist of surface and ground water. Most of our drinkable water come from underground Aquifers. Although they are mostly clean, they can get polluted by runoffs from fertilized fields, abandoned mines, poorly constructed landfills and septic systems and household chemicals poured down the drain. Hence, water is an important life source that we must treasure, ensure that is kept clean and most importantly sustainable.
In Singapore’s context, we have a shortage of land to store water and have little natural sources of water. Thus, we need to sustain ourselves with more supplies of water. Thankfully, the government have came up with plans and now, Singapore has 4 national taps to supply our island with water. The 4 national taps are 1. Water from local catchment, 2. Imported Water, 3. NEWater and 4. Desalinated water. We have been able to sustain ourselves and enjoy safe and good quality water for the past 5 decades. Therefore, we must understand where and how we get safe and potable water through water treatment while appreciating our precious water supply.
References:
- Water is Life lecture notes
- Publics Utilities Board. 2016. Water supply [Internet]. [Cited 12 March 2017]. Available from: https://www.pub.gov.sg/watersupply/watertreatmenthttps://www.pub.gov.sg/watersupply
- http://www.mewr.gov.sg/topic/water-conservation