S’pore will be water—independent before agreement expires: Balakrishnan

SINGAPORE: Environment and Water Resources Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said Singapore will be water—independent well before the expiry of the country’s last water agreement with Malaysia.

Dr Balakrishnan said Singapore can continue to produce more than enough water for itself for the long—term future.

The second desalination plant in Tuas will be completed in July, producing another 70 million gallons of water a day.

In the long run, desalination is expected to meet up to a quarter of Singapore’s total water demand.

Authorities will also not be raising water prices this year.

He said: "I agree that water needs to be correctly priced to reflect its scarcity value and it needs to facilitate long—term investments in this sector. There is a need, therefore, to constantly invest. And the key variable in the future for the cost of water is the cost of energy. So I cannot predict what the future cost of water will be without knowing what the cost of energy will be."

— CNA/xq