As you likely already know, Singapore has seen a 30 per cent water price hike, the second half of which kicked in on July 1.

The hike was first announced by Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat in last year's Budget, to reflect updated costs in water supply.

Speaking in Parliament on Oct. 1, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli noted the slight reduction in daily household water consumption between 2016 and 2017 (from 148 to 143 litres), but said the change was not simply because of the price hike.

Water efficiency standards and labelling helped

He credited measures such as minimum water efficiency standards, and mandatory labelling of the water efficiency of fittings and appliances as significant factors.

He cited a PUB household water consumption study in 2017 that showed that more than half the fittings and appliances used by households were water-efficient models.

PUB also replaced non-water efficient basins, kitchen taps and water closets for 3,700 households to date.

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Domestic and industrial plans to save water

But they're just getting started.

Starting this month, PUB will require all dishwashers sold in Singapore to carry a water efficiency label.

From April 2018, all fittings with a one-tick rating in water efficiency will be phased out from the market, while smart shower devices will also be installed in 10,000 new homes over the next two years.

In the non-domestic sector, PUB will work with companies to develop water efficiency benchmarks and practice guides.

Minister Masagos said that companies have responded "positively" to such overtures, and warned that our water resources should not be taken for granted.

Top image by Andrew McMillan via Wikimedia Commons.