Safe water in Singapore: notices, drought and what to store

Short answer. Singapore's tap water comes from one national system run by PUB, which publishes a yearly table of test results against WHO guideline values and Singapore's own limits ¹². Phaenyx found no public system of boil-water notices for Singapore. The Civil Defence Force (SCDF) gives no official per-person water quantity to store, but lists bottled water as an optional item in its Ready Bag ⁴.

How do I know if my tap water is unsafe?

PUB, the national water agency, publishes the quality of the drinking water produced by its waterworks and desalination plants, parameter by parameter, with the WHO guideline value, the Singapore regulatory value, the average and the range ¹. The same results are available as an open dataset ². Since 28 November 2025, drinking water quality is regulated under the Food Safety and Security (Non-Packaged Drinking Water) Regulations 2025, which replaced the Environmental Public Health (Water Suitable for Drinking) (No. 2) Regulations 2019; PUB states that both sets of standards are based on the WHO Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality ¹.

Phaenyx found no public register or alert channel for boil-water or do-not-drink notices in Singapore. If you are ever told not to drink the tap water, follow the official instruction and see What to do during a boil-water notice and Do-not-drink notices. How official warnings reach you is explained on our Singapore alerts page.

How much water should I store?

SCDF gives no official per-person water quantity ⁴. Its Civil Defence Emergency Handbook recommends a two-week home supply of essential food, and its Ready Bag list includes bottled water as an optional item, without a quantity ⁴. For wartime, the handbook says that if the water supply is disrupted, distribution points will be set up near homes, and residents should bring their own containers, for example pails and bottles ⁴.

Details are on our Singapore emergency supplies page. For figures used by other agencies, see How much water to store per person per day? and Water storage containers.

Is Singapore short of water?

PUB says that with limited land to collect and store rainwater, Singapore faced droughts, floods and water pollution in its early years ³. Today it draws on "Four National Taps": rainwater from local catchments and reservoirs, water imported from the Linggiu Reservoir in Johor, Malaysia, NEWater recycled from treated used water, and desalinated seawater ³.

In WRI's Aqueduct 4.0 model, the population-weighted median of Singapore's locations is in the "low" category for water stress today and in the 2050 business-as-usual projection, and "medium" for drought risk on a separate WRI scale ⁵. These are medians across many locations: one spot can sit higher or lower. See Drought preparedness.

What about private wells, or water after a flood?

Phaenyx found no official guidance on private household wells in Singapore. After a flood, follow official instructions and see Water safety after a flood and How do you make water safe to drink in an emergency?. A household plan can keep your water stock, containers and warning channels in one place.

Frequently asked questions

Who checks tap water quality in Singapore?

PUB publishes yearly results for the water from its waterworks and desalination plants, compared with WHO guideline values and Singapore's regulatory values ¹².

How many litres of water per person does Singapore recommend?

None. SCDF gives no official per-person water quantity; bottled water is an optional Ready Bag item ⁴.

Where does Singapore's water come from?

From four sources: local catchment, imported water from Johor, NEWater and desalinated water ³.

What happens to water supply in a war?

SCDF says distribution points would be set up near homes; bring your own containers ⁴.

Sources

1. PUB, Singapore's National Water Agency — Our Drinking Water Quality (Singapore Drinking Water Quality, January 2025 - December 2025) — https://www.pub.gov.sg/-/media/PUB/PDF/SG-Drinking-Water-Quality.pdf (accessed 2026-10-27)
2. PUB, Singapore's National Water Agency (via data.gov.sg) — Drinking water quality datasets — https://data.gov.sg/datasets/d_f397c39929978d3047e0e32430c6763b/view (accessed 2026-10-27)
3. PUB, Singapore's National Water Agency — Singapore Water Story – Our Four National Taps — https://www.pub.gov.sg/Public/WaterLoop/OurWaterStory (accessed 2026-10-27)
4. Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) — Civil Defence Emergency Handbook (10th edition, 2026) – English — https://www.scdf.gov.sg/docs/default-source/comm.---volunteers-(docs)/2026-scdf-emergency-handbook(eng)_16-oct.pdf (accessed 2026-10-27)
5. World Resources Institute (WRI) — Aqueduct 4.0 (water stress, 2050 projection and drought risk) — https://www.wri.org/aqueduct (accessed 2026-10-27)