PUB's Newater wins UN award for outreach

A Sembcorp Industries Ltd engineer inspects the ultraviolet disinfection pipes used in the treatment of recycled water, in the Sembcorp Newater plant in Singapore on Monday, May 3, 2010. Newater, has won a best-practices award from the United Nations
A Sembcorp Industries Ltd engineer inspects the ultraviolet disinfection pipes used in the treatment of recycled water, in the Sembcorp Newater plant in Singapore on Monday, May 3, 2010. Newater, has won a best-practices award from the United Nations for the outreach and public education surrounding it, said national water agency PUB on Friday. -- FILE PHOTO: BLOOMBERG 

Singapore's reclaimed water, Newater, has won a best-practices award from the United Nations for the outreach and public education surrounding it, said national water agency PUB on Friday.

PUB chief executive Chew Men Leong received the 'Water for Life' United Nations Water (UN-Water) Best Practices 2014 award in the participatory, communication, awareness-raising and education practices category, during a special ceremony held in commemoration of World Water Day 2014 in Tokyo, Japan on Friday morning.

Newater was one of nine nominations in that category.

The other category is for best water management practices, for which 25 nominations were received from around the world.

The annual UN-Water awards recognise practices that ensure the long-term sustainable management of water resources.

Newater, introduced into reservoirs here in 2003, is ultra-pure reclaimed water produced from treated used water using advanced membrane technologies. Singapore's current Newater production capacity can meet up to 30 per cent of its daily water needs.

The first Newater plants were commissioned in 2002, and on National Day that year, bottles of the water made their debut at the National Day Parade, part of a concerted PUB campaign to assure the public, members of parliament, grassroots leaders, the media and business groups that it was safe to drink.

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