Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Yaacob Ibrahim gave this assurance in his written answer to a question from Sembawang GRC MP Lim Wee Kiak in Parliament on Monday.
'Assurance that NEWater is safe for drinking and for use by the industries is a priority of PUB at all times,' Dr Yaacob said.
Due to NEWater's high purity, 'it is largely supplied to industrial and commerical users' that require higher quality water. Only 'a small amount of NEWater is blended with raw water in the reservoirs which undergoes further treatment for supply as drinking water'.
To ensure safety standards, the Public Utilities Board has taken several stringent measures, including 'a multi-barrier approach' in the design of the NEWater plants, comprehensive preventive maintenance programme and equipping plants with sensitive on-line instruments to constantly monitor water quality.
Critical operation control points are set in the NEWater plants to raise alarms and alert the operators; plant operation will automatically shut down in the unlikely event of membrane failure.
'PUB has in place a water quality monitoring programme to ensure that NEWater and tap water supplied by PUB are well within international drinking water standards including those of WHO,' said Dr Yaacob.
'More than 80,000 tests on water quality are conducted monthly, spanning the entire water supply network, that is, from reservoirs to taps to ensure that the water is safe to drink.'
'The test results and plant design and operations are audited every 3 months by an independent Internal Audit Panel chaired by a water expert from NUS.'
'Both Audit Panels have consistently found high standards upheld in plant design and operation, and most importantly, the quality of NEWater.'
