REDUCING WATER WASTAGE WHEN CLEANING WATER STORAGE TANKS OF RESIDENTIAL ESTATES

It is mandatory that all potable water storage tanks are cleaned and disinfected once a year.

The main objectives are to ensure that:

• the water storage tank is fit and safe for the storage of water for human consumption
• the water contained in the water storage tank is free from contamination or pollution
• water samples taken from the water storage tanks pass the appropriate chemical and bacteriological examinations
• the water storage tank is properly maintained
• there is no leakage and no likelihood of leakage in the water service installation, including the water storage tank

Currently, all the potable water stored in the tank is drained off and wasted before cleaning can take place. Cleaning of the water tank is done manually and in a confined space. After the cleaning, water samples from the tank are sent to independent test lab to verify the water quality.

There are about 10,000 public housing (HDB) blocks and each block has two to five tanks ranging from sizes of 11 cubic-meter to 35 cubic-meter.

• Comply with Public Utilities (Water Supply) Regulations and the Singapore Standard CP48 - Code of Practice for Water Services. Inspection, cleaning and disinfection of water storage tanks are carried out in accordance with Annex A of CP48.
• Solution proposed can be a cleaning solution that does not require water in the storage tank to be drained off, or a micro-organism growth inhibiting coating that does not require the tank to be cleaned annually, or other innovative solutions.
• Proposals should include information on any proof-of-concept (POC)/minimum viable product (MVP) that is non-sensitive.
• Applicant should indicate estimated commercial price of solution, cost of operation/maintenance and cost-benefit analysis of the solution in the proposal.

Besides addressing the above requirements, the proposed solution should also fulfil thefollowing criteria:

• Solution should not be readily or commercially available in the market.
• Solution should, wherever applicable, aim to:
  • Enhance safety of operations; and/or
  • Reduce reliance of manpower; and/or
  • Improve quality, consistency and service delivery; and/or
  • Achieve cost-effectiveness; and/or
  • Improve efficiency/productivity.

Solution development and test-bedding should take 6-9 months, and pilot deployment within 15 months.

EM Services will provide mentorship and test-bedding site for the solution.