| Water is a scarce and market-priced commodity in Singapore. Singtel uses two types of water: potable water which is drinking quality and NEWater, a
high-grade reclaimed water used for operational activities such as cooling. Singapore’s Public Utilities Board (PUB) supplies both and where possible, we
seek to replace the use of potable water with NEWater for our operational activities. To conserve and protect this essential resource, we aim to reduce our
consumption where it makes economic and environmental sense. |
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| All our premises are certified under PUB's Water Efficient Building (WEB) programme. We have put in place processes for the early detection of water leakages
and this includes daily water meter readings. The reporting scope for this report also includes our water usage at rented offices. |
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| In FY2013, Singtel’s total water consumption, a combination of potable and NEWater, increased marginally by 0.5% from last year to 788,726 m3, despite
our water conservation initiatives. Potable water increased by 7.2% and our use of NEWater decreased by 23% compared to FY2012. The drop in NEWater
consumption was due to the replacement of chillers and a reduction in cooling needs due to relocation of data centre customers at Telepark. |
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| The increase in potable water consumption is due to various reasons: |
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A one-off replacement of hose reel tank at NCS Hub |
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Faulty water tank pressure vessel and float valves in a number of cooling
towers causing increased water consumption |
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Increased coil and tube cleaning of water cooled packaged
air-conditioning units to increase their efficiency |
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| Without our water conservation measures that are already in place, these
incidents would have had a more adverse impact. In an effort to monitor
our water consumption more closely, we have installed additional individual
water meters to all three blocks and cooling towers in NCS Hub. We believe
that our continued monitoring and early warning processes will result in
better performance in the coming years. |
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Water Use
(m3) |
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| Biodiversity |
| During the current reporting period, we have not encountered any significant biodiversity issues. |
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| Singtel acknowledges that biodiversity is a global concern and our main identified operations that could potentially pose a threat to biodiversity is cable laying
and base station sites. |
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| For these activities, we assess any potential environmental issues including impact on biodiversity from our network deployment. If any of
our cable laying routes or base stations affects natural areas in Singapore, we consult with the National Parks Board and take their advice on how to
proceed and minimise or eliminate any adverse impact. With undersea cable installations, minor localised seabed disturbance may not be avoidable
although we do take into account, where possible, any adverse environmental impact to water quality and the natural environment. |
