A first look at Singapore's first underground service reservoir, which will supply water to Bidadari residents

Beneath a stretch of Bidadari Park lies Singapore's first underground service reservoir (USR), which will supply drinking water to about 8,800 households in the Bidadari estate this year. 

Constructed almost entirely underground, only about 700 sqm of land area in the estate is occupied by the USR's pumping station.

Service reservoirs store drinking water from treatment plants before it is piped to consumers, serving as a buffer against daily fluctuations in water demand, said national water agency PUB. It currently operates more than 10 service reservoirs built on high ground. 

Announcing the completion of the Bidadari USR on Wednesday (June 19), Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu said: "It will help fortify water supply to meet the water demand of present and future Bidadari residents."

She was speaking at the joint opening of Singapore International Water Week and CleanEnviro Summit Singapore conferences.

AsiaOne visited the Bidadari USR on June 14; here's the first look at the new facility.

Ins and outs of the USR

The USR consists of two underground water tanks with a combined capacity of three Olympic-sized swimming pools. Each of these tanks are about 6.5m high.

During off-peak hours, treated water from other high ground service reservoirs will fill up the two tanks via the USR's pipe network room.

This is to ensure adequate water supply for usage during the daily peak periods — from 6am to 10am and 6pm to 10pm.

Up to five pumps will kick into operation and maintain good water pressure in the estate's water network during peak hour usage, supplying water to homes.

Like other service reservoirs in Singapore, operations at Bidadari USR are fully automated and can be monitored from the control room.

By integrating the land above the water tanks into the adjacent Bidadari Park, PUB said it saved about 1,500 sqm of land.

Construction of Bidadari USR commenced in January 2020 and was completed in January 2024, following a delay of about 1.5 years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, said Alfred Chan, PUB's lead engineer for the construction of the Bidadari USR.

The USR is expected to be fully operational in the third quarter of 2024, after testing and commissioning works are completed.

When asked why Bidadari was chosen as the location for the USR, Chan said: "During the master planning of the new Bidadari estate, PUB recognised the opportunity and potential to testbed the concept of a USR as an additional water source to augment water supply during peak demand periods without having to construct new major pipelines.

"The construction of an USR has to be tied in with new developments. Thus, we proposed the concept to URA, HDB and NParks which could be integrated as part of the estate's infrastructure."

lim.kewei@asiaone.com