With rapid industrialisation and Singapore’s intensive urbanisation, the
government had to ensure adequate and reliable supply of clean water
and electricity in meeting rising demand in the late 1960s.
Source: MICA
Minister for Law and National Development, E W Barker, speaking at the opening of the
expanded Seletar Reservoir, 1969. Visiting British royalty, Princess Alexandra (right), was
the Guest of Honour. The expansion of Seletar Reservoir was the first major water work
after independence.
Source: PUB Annual Report 1973
Laying of inlet pipes at Pandan Reservoir. In 1975, two new reservoirs at Kranji and Pandan were
completed, with an added storage capacity of 4,500 million gallons. These two reservoirs served
mainly the north-western part of Singapore, including the Jurong Industrial Estate and the new
housing estates.
Source: NAS
Source: PUB Annual Reports 1965 - 1975
Once a common sight in pre-independent Singapore, standpipes became rare with such major improvements in our water supply chain.
In 1975, only two standpipes were in use as most households would have a direct supply of clean water by then.
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