What are the H2o Agreements?
The State of Johore and the City Council of Singapore signed two long-term Water Agreements.
The commencement Water Agreement was signed in 1961 and expired in August 2011. Under this Agreement, Singapore was entitled to draw an unrestricted quantity of raw water from the Tebrau and Scudai Rivers. In return, the understanding stipulated that Singapore would provide Johor with treated water amounting to 12% of the water that nosotros had imported. When the 1961 Water Agreement expired on 31 Baronial 2011, Singapore handed the Johor Country government the Gunong Pulai and Scudai waterworks as well as the pump houses at Pontian and Tebrau which nosotros had been operating and maintaining at our own toll. These facilities were handed to them free of charge and in good working society.
[Chairman of PUB Tan Gee Hand (seated, left of pic) and Johor State Secretary Obet Tawil (seated, right of picture) signed the documents to hand over the Gunong Pulai and Scudai waterworks too as the pump houses at Pontian and Tebrau to the Johor State government on 31 August 2011. These facilities were handed over free of charge and in skilful working gild. Looking on (from left) are Senior Minister of Country for the Surround and Water Resources and Information, Communication and the Arts Grace Fu, Johor Menteri Besar Dato' Abdul Ghani Othman, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, the Sultan of Johor His Royal Highness Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar, and the Tunku Mahkota of Johor His Royal Highness Tunku Ismail Ibni Sultan Ibrahim.]
The second Water Agreement was signed in 1962 and volition elapse in 2061. It entitles Singapore to draw and utilize 250 million gallons of raw water per day from the Johor River. In return, weare obliged to provide Johor with treated water up to ii% of the water we import. PUB draws water from the Johor River and treats the water at the Johor River Waterworks located most Kota Tinggi in Johor. The water nosotros import from Johor is one of our "Four National Taps".
Why are the Water Agreements and so of import?
The H2o Agreements were guaranteed by the Government of Malaysia in the Separation Agreement signed in 1965 that established Singapore every bit an independent and sovereign state. The guarantee was also enacted into the Malaysian Constitution by an Act of Parliament. The Malaysian Constitution was annexed to the Separation Agreement. The Separation Agreement was registered with the United Nations.
Both countries have to honour the terms of the Water Agreements and the guarantee in the Separation Agreement. Neither Singapore nor Malaysia tin can unilaterally alter them. Whatsoever breach of the Water Agreements would telephone call into question the sanctity of the Water Agreements and the Separation Agreement, and tin can undermine Singapore'southward very being.
What is Linggiu Reservoir?
In 1990, PUB and the Johor Land government signed an agreement to construct Linggiu Reservoir to increase the yield of the Johor River to enable reliable brainchild of PUB's full entitlement to 250 million gallons per mean solar day of water. This agreement supplemented the 1962 H2o Understanding.
Linggiu Reservoir is a regulatory reservoir. During periods of dry weather or high tide, more seawater backs upwards forth the Johor River. Rainwater collected in the Linggiu Reservoir is released into the Johor River, supplementing its flow orpushing the seawater back, enabling the reliable brainchild of raw h2o from the Johor River.
Johor owns the Linggiu Dam, just Singapore paid more than than Due south$300 million for its construction and operational costs, also every bit bounty for the land used for the Linggiu Reservoir project, the potential loss of revenue from logging activities, and as ane-fourth dimension payment for the lease of that land for the remaining tenure of the 1962 Water Understanding.
From 1998 to 2003, Singapore and Malaysia were engaged in a period of difficult negotiations over a number of issues which included the cost of water. A succinct account of the negotiations can be found in a argument made by Minister for Foreign Affairs Professor S Jayakumar to Parliament on 23 January 2003, and in this publication.
Briefly, in 1998, Singapore and Malaysia began negotiations on a "framework of wider cooperation". During the 1998 Financial Crisis, Malaysia wanted fiscal loans to back up its currency; Singapore suggested that Malaysia give its assurance for a long-term supply of water to Singapore. Malaysia somewhen had no need for the loans. Negotiations turned to other matters of mutual interest. In item, Malaysia wanted articulation development of more land parcels in Singapore in return for relocating its railway station away from Tanjong Pagar.
Over the next 3 years, more items were bundled together to form a negotiated packet, where both sides asked for and offered various concessions on several outstanding bilateral issues. One of the items added by Malaysia was a higher price for the water it sold to Singapore.
Singapore's position has consistently been that Malaysia has lost its correct to review the price of water under the 1962 Water Agreement. Neither Malaysia nor Singapore can unilaterally alter the prices of raw water and treated water specified in the Water Agreements. Under the H2o Agreements, Singapore pays Johor 3 sen per thousand gallons of raw h2o and Johor pays Singapore 50 sen per m gallons of treated water. 50 sen is merely a fraction of the true cost to Singapore of treating the water, which includes building and maintaining the entire infrastructure of the water purification plants.
While nosotros tried to negotiate on terms acceptable to both sides, Malaysia kept irresolute its negotiating positions on the package of items. On water, Malaysia's asking toll kept increasing throughout the negotiations. It increased from 45 sen per grand gallons in Baronial 2000, to 60 sen in February 2001, to RM6.25 in September 2002.
Finally, in October 2002, Malaysian Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad told Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong that Malaysia wanted to "decouple the water issue" from the other items in the bundle. Prime Minister Goh told Prime Government minister Mahathir that since Malaysia wanted to discontinue the package arroyo, Singapore would have to bargain with water and the other issues on their stand up-lone claim.
Practice we still import water from Johor?
Yes. Under the 1962 Water Agreement, we proceed to draw 250 million gallons of raw water per twenty-four hours from the Johor River. In render, we are obliged to provide Malaysia with a daily supply of treated h2o up to 2% (or 5 mgd) of the water supplied to Singapore. In practise, over the years, PUB has, at Johor'due south request, supplied boosted potable water to Johor daily on tiptop of the two% we are obliged to supply under the 1962 Water Agreement. PUB has also acceded to Johor's ad-hoc requests for even more than drink water, during periods of severe and prolonged drought in Johor and when Johor'southward waterworks feel pollution events or undergo routine maintenance. The additional drinkable water is supplied to Johor on a goodwill basis and without prejudice to our rights under the 1962 Water Agreement.
Cooperation between agencies
PUB and its counterpart in Johor, Badan Kawalselia Air Johor (BAKAJ), bask a potent working relationship. PUB and BAKAJ meet regularly and concur useful discussions on current weather trends, the water levels at various reservoirs and dams in Johor, and h2o resource development plans. PUB and BAKAJ likewise cooperate closely on the Johor River Barrage project. The Johor River Barrage, which has been operational since August 2016, helps to forestall salinity intrusions and increases the reliability of water supply from the Johor River, thus benefitting both Singapore and Johor.
Publication -Water Talks? – If Merely It Could - Link (10.91MB)
Speech by Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan During the Committee of Supply Debate (ii Mar 2020) - Link
Respond by Minister for Foreign Diplomacy Dr Vivian Balakrishnan to a Supplementary Question in the Singapore Parliament (1 Mar 2019) - Link
Statement by Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan in the Singapore Parliament (fourteen Jan 2019) - Link
Statement past Minister for Foreign Diplomacy Dr Vivian Balakrishnan in the Singapore Parliament (nine July 2018) - Link
Argument by Professor S Jayakumar, Singapore Government minister for Foreign Diplomacy, in the Singapore Parliament on Jan 25, 2003 - link
Recent Press Releases
MFA Spokesperson's Comments in Response to Media Statement past Wisma Putra on the 1962 H2o Agreement on 12 March 2019 - Link
MFA Spokesperson'south Comments in Response to Media Queries on the Statement past Johor Menteri Besar Dato' Osman Sapian on 1 March 2019 - Link
MFA Spokesperson'southward Comments in Response to Comments by Malaysian Minister of Foreign Affairs Dato' Saifuddin Abdullah on 19 February 2019 - Link
MFA Spokesperson'due south Comments in Response to Media Queries on Discussions between Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on 12 November 2018 - Link
MFA Spokesperson'south Comments in Response to Media Queries on Malaysia's Prime Government minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad'south Comments to Bloomberg dated 25 June 2018 with respect to the 1962 H2o Agreement - Link
Singapore to Supply Additional Potable H2o to Johor (17 July 2016) - Link
Joint Media Statement of the Inaugural KeTTHA-MEWR Joint Commission Meeting (12 July 2016)- Link
Singapore to Supply Additional Potable Water to Johor (6 June 2016) - Link
MEWR COS 2016 – Update on the state of affairs at Linggiu Reservoir (12 April 2016) - Link
Minister for the Environment and H2o Resources Masagos Zulkifli's introductory visit to Malaysia (25 February 2016) - Link
Singapore to supply additional potable water to Johor during its h2o rationing (xx August 2015) - Link
Minister for Foreign Diplomacy Chiliad Shanmugam'south Reply to a Parliamentary Question on the status of the country assessment revenue enhancement to PUB's Johor River Waterworks (eighteen Baronial 2015) - Link
Transcript of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong'due south and Prime Minister Najib Razak'due south Remarks at the Joint Printing Briefing for the half-dozenth Singapore-Malaysia Leaders' Retreat (five May 2015) - Link
Joint Statement by Prime Government minister Lee Hsien Loong and Prime Government minister Najib Razak at the Singapore-Malaysia Leaders' Retreat in Singapore (5 May 2015) - Link
Oral Answer to Questions by Government minister for Foreign Diplomacy Mr Grand Shanmugam: Price of Raw Water from Malaysia (6 March 2014) - Link
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