Posted February 20, 2018 07:13:08 Singapore’s National Defence Force (NDF) is in talks with a Singapore-based company to supply water-based septic systems to the military, the country’s defence minister said on Tuesday.
“We are in talks to procure a number of technologies,” Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said at a press conference after a visit to the Seletarsa facility.
The military is planning to purchase septic water tanks from Seletarium, a Singapore based manufacturer.
Singapore has struggled with shortages of drinking water and sewage treatment facilities in recent years, which has resulted in large numbers of people staying indoors and living on the streets.
The country also has a long history of high suicide rates.
But the NDF has struggled to fill the need for septic storage.
It has been using the water from a sewage treatment plant in a septic container to meet the military’s drinking water needs.
In a statement on its website, the Ministry of Defence said the plan was part of its strategy to build a water infrastructure that can meet the countrys water needs and is “comprehensive, flexible and environmentally sustainable”.
The NDF and Seletaria have been in talks for the past few months, according to a report in the Economic Times.
“The minister is very keen on seeing the water system in Singapore become fully operational by the end of 2020,” Mr Ng said.
The Seletararsa septic system was installed in a Singaporean septic unit at the Singapore-run Seletara Military Training Centre, known as SMAFC, in 2015.
Photo: Reuters The Singaporean military, which is the country ‘s largest and oldest, uses the water to flush toilets and to wash weapons and ammunition.
Its chief of defence, Gen Tan Sri Mok Wan, said the septic facilities at SMAEC would be used to “help strengthen Singapore’s military defence capability”.
It is not clear what the cost of the septic tanks will be, but Mr Ng has promised that they will be cost-effective and environmentally friendly.
The NDA has pledged to raise the national defence budget by at least $100 billion over four years to address the growing national debt.
The defence ministry has also said it will soon start building a “major infrastructure” for the country, such as roads, ports, and airports.
“This is an important step in our defence strategy,” Mr Tan said.
“Singapore will continue to be a key partner for our country’s security and prosperity, and will contribute to international security by ensuring that the global economy remains open to the Singaporean economy,” the ministry said.