An emergency has turned the tables on the water situation between Malaysia and Singapore — the northern neighbours are now the ones in urgent need of potable water from the city-state.
It’s a big volume, too; six million gallons of treated water per day, according to the Public Utilities Board (PUB). An urgent request was made by their Malaysian counterparts BAKAJ last week when serious pollution in the Johor River shut down their own water supply system. Since midnight on July 17, PUB has commenced additional supply of treated water to Johor and will continue to do so until tomorrow.
“Service to PUB’s customers in Singapore will not be affected in any way as we are able to increase local production at short notice,” assured the local board.
The two countries have had a long, uneasy history regarding water supplies, where Malaysia has been a major provider of water to Singapore, but has used threats of cutting it off every time they want to exert political pressure. Under the 1962 Water Agreement, PUB is entitled to draw 250mgd of raw water; a right that will only expire in 2061. The agreement also states that PUB sell treated water back to Johor, providing up to 16mgd on a daily basis.
Lately, however, Singapore has been investing heavily in self-sufficiency strategies like constructing desalination plants and a water barrage.
