Playing a part in water conservation as students
With our lack of natural resources, it comes as no surprise that Singapore is one of the most water-stressed countries in the world today. Despite the many efforts that the Government has made, Singapore remains vulnerable to the threat of a potential water shortage in the decades to come. Taking shorter showers, washing clothes on a full load and installing thimbles in our taps are among the many widely known ways in which we can all save water. However, in order to eradicate the possibility of a future water crisis, a significantly higher level of effort and action would be required. As students, is there anything we can do to make this a reality?
For a group of Hwa Chong Institution (HCI) students, water conservation began with a school project-cum-national competition that they took on in 2020. Low Jeen Liang, Tan Wei An and Yiu Yi Hin Kinsey, 17, were the members of the group that won The Singapore Junior Water Prize competition. The event was supported by the Public Utilities Board (PUB) and was led by the Lien Foundation, Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP) and Sembcorp Industries.
Officially titled “A novel electrochemical enhancement of activated carbon fibre for the purification of contaminated pharmaceutical effluents”, the project dealt mainly with pharmaceutical wastewater.
The trio undertook this endeavour as part of a year-long project that their school required them to work on. “We were from a special group called the Science and Math Talent Programme. As such, we were encouraged to take on a science research project,” shared Kinsey. Recognising the importance of water conservation, the students chose to centre their project around the topic of water.
“In the production process of pharmaceuticals, there are different chemicals present in the water that is discharged. One of the methods currently being used to treat this issue is called absorption, where a material is used to absorb these pollutants from the water,” explained Jeen Liang. “Our project was primarily focused on enhancing the performance and effectiveness of this already existing process.”
“Since the technology was not really applied to our project yet, we faced a lot of initial difficulties and setbacks. However, in the end we were able to get through it,” said Wei An, who shared that the year long project taught him the value of perseverance.
“As our population grows, water pollution has also gotten worse,” said Kinsey. He added that this was especially the case for the pharmaceutical industry, where there has been an increase in demand for medicine due to issues such as Singapore’s ageing population. These were the reasons why the team felt that this was a pressing issue that needed to be tackled.
We faced a lot of intial difficulties and setbacks
Tan wei an
Having won this national-level competition, the trio will now go on to represent Singapore in the International Stockholm Junior Water Prize competition.
Photo credits: Low Jeen Liang
The trio posing with their teacher-in-charge after receiving the award
From left to right: Low Jeen Liang, Kinsey Yiu, Tan Wei An
Another student who has been largely involved with the local water scene is 21-year-old Tay Wei Hian. A current full-time National Serviceman, Wei Hian graduated from an established course in the environmental and technology field in 2020.
Supported by both PUB as well as NEA, Environmental and Water Technology (EWT) is a full-time diploma course from Ngee Ann Polytechnic that equips students with knowledge and experience relating to modern technology as well as water conservation. “In this course, we get to learn about everything that has to do with water in Singapore. Some examples would be things like drainage systems, water bodies and water sustainability," shared Wei Hian.
Among the many interesting modules that he undertook throughout his three years with the diploma was a module known as Active Beautiful Clean (ABC) Waters Management. With this module, he learned how water gets treated in Singapore. He also got the chance to conduct lessons and tours for Secondary School students at the Ulu Pandan River.
We can channel it to support our
everyday water usage
Tay wei hian
“ABC systems are very important to Singapore. Many of our waterways, such as old concrete canals are currently being converted into ABC systems. These systems incorporate beautifying our waterways and ensuring that the water is purified naturally by plants and sedimentation,” said Wei Hian. “That way, instead of letting this water go to waste by having it flow into the rivers, we can channel it to support our everyday water usage.”
Wei Hian also got to learn about the water conservation efforts implemented in other countries. “My batch was fortunate enough to go on a school trip to Taiwan, where we got to see how they went about saving water,” he said. An example Wei Hian mentioned was that in Taiwan, the water used in toilets comes from collected rainwater.
Photo credits; Tay Wei Hian
Wei Hian with his coursemates in Taiwan
These are some ways in which NP’s diploma in EWT equips students with the skills and knowledge required to play an active part in water conservation. In doing so, the course works towards producing passionate youths that are able to actively contribute to the water scene in Singapore.
“I didn’t choose this course for a specific reason. I just came across it on the NP website and thought it was relatively interesting,” said Wei Hian. “After taking the course, I found that the things I learned were very applicable to many situations that I face on a daily basis.”
Over the three years he spent with this diploma, Wei Hian developed a strong passion for saving water and promoting water conservation. In his final year with the course, he went on to be an intern at PUB to deepen his understanding of water conservation.
In their capacity as students, these four individuals were able to find their own unique ways to contribute to water sustainability in Singapore. When asked about their thoughts on the current water scene in Singapore, both the HCI students as well as Wei Hian mentioned that they thought more action was needed from our citizens. Wei An mentioned that aside from following the general water saving tips we can find on the PUB website, we should also “find new ways to save water everyday that may not have been in the official guidelines.”
Wei Hian added that Singaporeans fail to see the level of effort that goes behind ensuring that the nation has constant access to clean water. “People don't see how much effort the PUB puts in every single day to ensure that the population gets clean water,” he said. “The problem is not only the possible water shortage, but also the lack of awareness on how difficult water conservation is.” As such, Wei Hian hopes that Singaporeans can be more conscious about making constant efforts to save water.
Jeen Liang also urged for all Singaporeans to consider the topic of water, should they get the opportunity to work on a project like the one the HCI students took on. “If you are not sure what to focus on for a future project, but you understand the importance of saving water, I think it is definitely worth pursuing something related to water conservation.”