Home in focus: A tale of two plants

An underground modern water facility versus a conventional plant

The mechanical ventilation system in the basement of the liquid treatment module of Changi WRP is used to keep the basement well-ventilated by drawing out air and pushing fresh air into the basement. The main control room in the Changi plant is the h
Operating at a depth of 60m underground, the pumps at the Changi WRP have a pump capacity of 4.6 cubic metres per second each, or the equivalent of filling up an Olympic-size swimming pool in nine minutes. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
The mechanical ventilation system in the basement of the liquid treatment module of Changi WRP is used to keep the basement well-ventilated by drawing out air and pushing fresh air into the basement. The main control room in the Changi plant is the h
Above: Changi Water Reclamation Plant's principal engineer Edgar Wong in the liquid treatment area, where sludge is pumped to the Solids Building for treatment. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
The mechanical ventilation system in the basement of the liquid treatment module of Changi WRP is used to keep the basement well-ventilated by drawing out air and pushing fresh air into the basement. The main control room in the Changi plant is the h
Mr Wong showing samples of dewatered sludge and dried sludge. Dryers turn dewatered sludge into dried sludge, which is trucked away for incineration. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
The mechanical ventilation system in the basement of the liquid treatment module of Changi WRP is used to keep the basement well-ventilated by drawing out air and pushing fresh air into the basement. The main control room in the Changi plant is the h
The mechanical ventilation system in the basement of the liquid treatment module of Changi WRP is used to keep the basement well-ventilated by drawing out air and pushing fresh air into the basement. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
The mechanical ventilation system in the basement of the liquid treatment module of Changi WRP is used to keep the basement well-ventilated by drawing out air and pushing fresh air into the basement. The main control room in the Changi plant is the h
The main control room in the Changi plant is the heart of its operations. Here the operators can handle equipment remotely and monitor the treatment process of used water. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
The mechanical ventilation system in the basement of the liquid treatment module of Changi WRP is used to keep the basement well-ventilated by drawing out air and pushing fresh air into the basement. The main control room in the Changi plant is the h
Treated used water in the final sedimentation tank at the Jurong plant, which has a total treatment capacity of 57 million gallons per day (mgd) - 36 mgd for domestic used water and 21 mgd for industrial used water. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
The mechanical ventilation system in the basement of the liquid treatment module of Changi WRP is used to keep the basement well-ventilated by drawing out air and pushing fresh air into the basement. The main control room in the Changi plant is the h
Above: Treated used water, or secondary effluent, at Jurong Water Reclamation Plant, is channelled through effluent outfall facilities for discharge to the sea. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
The mechanical ventilation system in the basement of the liquid treatment module of Changi WRP is used to keep the basement well-ventilated by drawing out air and pushing fresh air into the basement. The main control room in the Changi plant is the h
Circular sedimentation tanks are a distinctive feature in the landscape of Jurong Water Reclamation Plant. Jurong WRP, in operation since 1981, will be phased out by 2025 when the DTSS Phase 2 project is completed. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
The mechanical ventilation system in the basement of the liquid treatment module of Changi WRP is used to keep the basement well-ventilated by drawing out air and pushing fresh air into the basement. The main control room in the Changi plant is the h
The thermal hydrolysis process facility helps to increase solids treatment capacity at the Jurong plant without the need to construct any additional digester. It also reduces digester footprint required for sludge management. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
The mechanical ventilation system in the basement of the liquid treatment module of Changi WRP is used to keep the basement well-ventilated by drawing out air and pushing fresh air into the basement. The main control room in the Changi plant is the h
Sludge from the used water treatment process is converted to methane-rich biogas in egg-shaped digesters at the Jurong plant. This biogas, which serves as fuel in gas engines to generate electricity, is used for in-plant power generation. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
The mechanical ventilation system in the basement of the liquid treatment module of Changi WRP is used to keep the basement well-ventilated by drawing out air and pushing fresh air into the basement. The main control room in the Changi plant is the h
Senior engineer Balasubramaniam Jeyanathan (left) and engineer Lim Seng Leong observing the treatment process of industrial used water at the aeration unit of the Jurong plant. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
The mechanical ventilation system in the basement of the liquid treatment module of Changi WRP is used to keep the basement well-ventilated by drawing out air and pushing fresh air into the basement. The main control room in the Changi plant is the h
Kevin Lim Executive Photojournalist
Updated
Mar 23, 2020, 09:18 AM
Published
Mar 23, 2020, 05:00 AM
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Singapore's water reclamation plants run 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Officers from national water agency PUB are on duty around the clock, making sure the plants continue to operate beyond normal working hours to ensure proper management of used water and water sustainability for Singapore.

The four water reclamation plants - Kranji, Ulu Pandan, Jurong and Changi - serve a population of over five million.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on March 23, 2020, with the headline Home in focus: A tale of two plants. Subscribe

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