Singapore is an indépendant city-state off the coast of Malaysia. The 5.6 million residents are reliant on Malaysia for their water supply. In 1961, Singapore and Malaysia reached an agreement to provide water from the Johor River to Singapore. Singapore bore the cost of constructing reservoirs and other necessary facilities, and also paid 3 Malaysian cents per 4,500L.
Following the agreement, Malaysia has threatened to increase the price of water as a way to exert political pressure on Singapore. In response, Singapore has moved to develop ways to be fully self-sufficient. Through construction of desalinization plants, Singapore expects to be 80% self-sufficient by 2061. |