• The Mandarin term “食水” is a paraphrase of the English term “drinking water”.
• In Singapore, tap water is potable and can be consumed directly.
• The safety of Singapore’s drinking water is based on the World Health Organisation’s Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality.
• Water from Singapore’s reservoirs is treated, filtered and disinfected at water treatment plants to remove harmful bacteria and viruses. The final product is known as “食水”.
• In 1998, to meet the needs of upcoming developments in the city area, the Singapore Government installed water pipelines in Marina Bay to transport and supply drinking water.
• Since February 2003, the Public Utilities Board has injected 2 million gallons of NEWater into the country’s reservoirs daily. The mixture of NEWater and natural water is then treated and supplied to the public as drinking water.
• SingSpring, the first seawater desalination plant in Singapore, supplies between 10 million and 30 million gallons of drinking water daily.

It is the norm for Singaporeans to have access to clean drinking water whenever they turn on the tap. (Lianhe Zaobao, 29/9/2014)