SINGAPORE – To encourage his brother to conserve water, 12-year-old Karthikeyan Sachin has a simple but effective plan – he will turn off the heater.

The Clementi Primary School pupil said his brother now spends too much time in the bathroom.

“My brother takes 15 to 20 minute showers,” said Karthikeyan, adding that he learnt in school that showers should only last five minutes.

“I will paste a timer on the shower door and when it goes off, I will make him leave the bathroom by turning off the heater.”

He said he now recognises the importance of conserving water after his school on Wednesday (March 13) held an exercise together with the Public Utilities Board (PUB) at the school grounds in Clementi Avenue 3.

The student population got to learn what it can be like when the taps run dry when they were limited to six buckets of water to wash their hands with.

Water coolers around the school were also shut off, and pupils were encouraged to bring their own water bottles instead of buying mineral water.

Karthikeyan and his school mates also participated in the “Water Pits and Pipes” activity, where they used plastic pipes and connectors to design and construct their own water sewage system.

The event was held to mark Singapore World Water Day, which falls on March 22.

Pupils pledged to take home the water conservation methods they learnt in school, which included using the half-flush in the toilet and limiting showers to five minutes.

Li Yun Xuan, 10, said that she would tell her family members to reuse the water they wash vegetables with on their plants.

The pupils were joined by Senior Minister of State for the Environment and Water Resources Dr Amy Khor, who tried the pupils’ home-made water filtration system.

“Schools are an important partner in our efforts to promote water conservation,” she said.

“These exercises teach them to make every drop count, and help to nurture water-saving habits from young.”

This year sees the largest number of schools participating in water rationing exercises.

Initiated in 2016, a total of 47,000 students from 116 schools have taken part in the exercise in 2019, many for the second consecutive year.

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