[9] Five desalination plants[a] have been opened throughout the country since 2003, which in total are able to produce a maximum capacity of approximately 195,000 million imperial gallons (890,000,000 m3) per day.

[10] Singapore's approach does not simply rely on physical infrastructure, but it also emphasises proper legislation and enforcement, water pricing, public education as well as research and development.

[12] Singapore was also the first country in Asia to institute a comprehensive fluoridation programme which covers the entirety of its population.

[13] The history of common water supply in Singapore began with the construction of the MacRitchie Reservoir, which was built by the British in 1866.

[16] The same article highlights that, in searching for water and drilling artesian wells, it was discovered that no geological survey of the island of Singapore had ever been undertaken.

[19] According to Lee Kuan Yew, this was one of his motives to envision water self-sufficiency for Singapore going forward when he became the country's first prime minister.

For example, the Kranji-Pandan Scheme, completed in 1975, included the damming of the estuary of the Kranji river and the construction of a reservoir at Pandan.

In return, Malaysia initially asked to increase the raw water price to 60 sen per 1,000 imperial gallons (4,500 L), corresponding to 4 US cents per cubic meter.

It further clarified that the price paid by Hong Kong included payment for substantial infrastructure provided by China, while Malaysia provided only access to raw water and the infrastructure necessary to convey the water inside Malaysia was entirely paid for by Singapore.

Singapore decided to refuse to accept a higher price and its initial goal to extend the agreements beyond 2061.

In order to facilitate the new integrated approach, the Public Utilities Board, which had previously been in charge of water supply only, was given the responsibility for sanitation as well in 2001.

[28] This analysis eventually proved true; a report in 2016 has shown that Singapore has achieved self-reliance with its water supply during the mid-2010s.

The constraint is the limited land area to catch and store the rainfall, and the absence of natural aquifers and lakes.

[33] Singapore's oldest reservoirs - MacRitchie, Lower Peirce, Upper Selatar as well as the more recently built Upper Peirce Reservoir - are all located in the Central Catchment Nature Reserve, a protected area that has been reforested to protect the water resources and act as a "green lung" for the city.

[34] Singapore's imported water comes through a pipeline that runs along a 1 km bridge, the Johor–Singapore Causeway, that also carries a road and a railway.

Under the first agreement the price of raw water was set at 3 Malaysian sen per 1,000 imperial gallons (4,500 L), corresponding to about 0,2 US cents per cubic meter.

The effluent from the reclamation plants is either discharged into the sea or undergoes further microfiltration, reverse osmosis and ultraviolet treatment.

In 2012, there were four NEWater factories, located at the Bedok, Kranji, Ulu Pandan and Changi next to five water reclamation plants.

[39] The produced NEWater after stabilization (addition of alkaline chemicals) is in compliance with the WHO requirements and can be piped off to its wide range of applications (e.g. reuse in industry, discharge to a drinking water reservoir).

[19] With the construction of the Deep Tunnel Sewerage System the decentralized water reclamation plants and NEWater factories are expected to be gradually closed and replaced by the single, much larger water reclamation plant and NEWater factory at Changi at the Eastern end of Singapore Island.

[52] Functioning also as a test bed for energy saving technology, the plant can produce 30 million imperial gallons (140,000 m3) of water per day.

[62] The Changi Water Reclamation Plant, the heart of the first phase of the DTSS, was opened by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in June 2009.

The deep tunnel works entirely by gravity, eliminating the need for pumping stations, and thus the risks of used water overflows.

While tariffs historically included a cross-subsidy from industries that paid a higher price to residential users that paid a lower price for social reasons, this policy was ended and residential users were charged a tariff that covers the full costs of supply.

Within the government of Singapore, the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment is in charge of policy setting for water and sanitation.

Legislation is effectively implemented, with heavy fines, and the various agencies in charge of water work together in a coordinated manner under a common framework.

[68][69] Leading Japanese companies such as Toshiba and Toray have established water research centers in Singapore.

[70][71] Singapore is home to over 70 local and international water companies and 23 research and development centers working on about 300 projects valued at $185 million.

Water and sewer tariffs were raised substantially in the late 1990s, so that the average monthly domestic bill including taxes increased from S$13 in 1996 to S$30 in 2000.

The water tariff includes a conservation tax set at 30% that increases to 45% for domestic consumption above 40 m3 per month.