SINGAPORE — The cause of discoloured tap water at the Basic Military Training Camp (BMTC) on Pulau Tekong last November was a naturally occurring mineral that had settled and accumulated in the island’s water supply network over time, Environment and Water Resources Minister Masagos Zulkifli said on Monday (Feb 3).

Mr Masagos was responding to a parliamentary question from Workers’ Party Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (MP) Leon Perera, who had asked about the cause of the discolouration of the water supply at the BMTC.

During the incident on Nov 20, the water supply on Pulau Tekong was affected for around 38 hours as officers from the national water agency PUB carried out overnight operations to flush the water mains serving the internal service pipes for all camps.

“PUB investigated and found that these minerals in the pipes serving BMTC were churned up, thus affecting the appearance of the water,” said Mr Masagos on Monday. “The tap water turned clear after flushing of the water supply network.”

Water sampling tests were then carried out to ensure that it was safe for consumption.

Mr Perera had also asked what measures were being taken to reduce the risk of such incidents from recurring.

Mr Masagos replied that as a preventive measure, PUB is working with BMTC to carry out cleaning of the water mains on Pulau Tekong during the first half of this year, when there is a break in the military facility’s training schedule.

Responding to a supplementary question by Mr Perera on whether the Government ensures the water quality on Pulau Tekong is “equal to the standard on the mainland”, Mr Masagos said that it does.

“In fact, all drinking water is tested, (regardless of) whether it is on Tekong or the mainland,” he said.

This, he said, is to ensure that the water is potable and up to the standards and regulations under the Environmental Public Health Regulations 2019 and the World Health Organization’s Guidelines.