Grace Fu says S'pore tap water stays safe to drink after blackish rain videos spread during haze
Ms Fu said treated water is clean and PUB has stepped up checks, but cautioned against using rainwater for drinking, cooking or personal hygiene.
Seen those videos of blackish rain going around your feeds? Singapore's tap water is still fine to drink even with the haze, Grace Fu, the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment, assured the public on Saturday (Oct 24), responding to clips of dark-looking rainwater that had spread across social media.
So you can keep filling your bottle from the tap.
Ms Fu spoke in a video filmed at the water quality laboratory of national water agency PUB. "While the blackish water seems worrying, our tap water remains clean and safe to drink," she said.
What Grace Fu said about haze and rainwater
According to her, rain gathered while the air is hazy may be more acidic, and may carry more particles and organic matter.
She noted, however, that several treatment stages are applied to water from Singapore's reservoirs, clearing away dirt, tiny particles and other impurities.
The treatment is built to handle fine haze particles. "Our water treatment processes can filter out particles up to 100 times smaller than PM2.5," she said.
In Singapore, the main particle during haze episodes is usually PM2.5, a term for fine particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometres or smaller. "Rest assured that the PM2.5 haze particles will be removed during this comprehensive treatment process," said Ms Fu.
PUB has stepped up checks
"During this haze period, PUB has also stepped up checks on our water quality as added precautions," said Ms Fu. According to her, the tests detected no unusual shifts in the quality of Singapore's treated water.
One thing to remember: that reassurance is about treated tap water. Ms Fu warned people not to use rainwater to drink, to cook or for personal hygiene.
So if you see dark rain outside, leave it there, and keep drinking from the tap.
