The cleansing ritual practised by Muslims before prayers five times a day is usually done with running water from a tap.

About six litres of water flow from a tap every minute, and the amount of water used in the cleansing process usually differs from person to person.

In a bid to save water, students from the aLIVE religious programme at the Al-Mawaddah Mosque in Sengkang are being taught how to practise ablutions with just a 0.75-litre bottle.

Yesterday, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli visited the mosque to observe the sermon and to look at the mosque's water-saving strategies.

Other than observing how students conduct the cleansing ritual with a bottle of water instead of a running tap, Mr Masagos also saw how the mosque collects rainwater and condensate from the air-conditioning system for watering plants and cleaning floors.

Speaking to the media on the sidelines of his visit, Mr Masagos said: "I'm glad that the Muslim community has also come forward to take the initiative in reducing the amount of water used...

"This mosque, in particular, got together its students (and) congregation to understand the value of water and to take steps to conserve it."

Audrey Tan