Bodies found in Bedok reservoir didn't affect water quality Nov 21 SINGAPORE - Minister for Environment and Water Resources, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, said the standard operating procedure to treat water did not need to be changed after bodies were found in Bedok Reservoir in the last few months. He was responding to a question from Non-Constituency Member of Parliament Lina Chiam. There have been six reported cases of bodies found at Bedok Reservoir, over the past four months, leading to questions over the impact of water quality there. Dr Balakrishnan said all the incidents happened in the reservoir containing raw, untreated water. Before the water reaches public taps, it is filtered and chemically disinfected to a standard well within the World Health Organisation's Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality before it is supplied as potable water. Dr Balakrishnan said the treatment process rids the water of bacteria, such as those from decaying organic matter found naturally in the reservoirs' ecosystems. The treated water is also tested daily. Dr Balakrishnan assured the house that the treated water is safe to drink. "But the standard operating procedure to ensure that the water is clean, did not need to be changed," he said. He added PUB also engages an External Audit Panel, comprising local and international experts on toxicology, water quality and chemistry, to advise on reservoir and treated water quality matters. Separately, national water agency PUB has worked with the police to step up their patrols at Bedok reservoir. PUB will soon put up signages in the area, providing information on support hotlines for those who are depressed. Dr Balakrishnan said: "We certainly intensified all our measures to prevent these sort of untoward accidents - we reviewed the safety parameters, we increased patrols, we increased lights, we put up more signs. "Specifically on water safety itself, there is no need to change the operating procedure to filter, treat and check the water. "We stepped up our monitoring and we ensured that everybody in the treatment plant that's dealing with raw water from Bedok reservoir complies strictly with all our procedures. "Even with those measures that have been put in place, we still require people to exercise personal care, and take responsibility for their own safety in our reservoirs. "And we therefore seek cooperation of all members of the public to exercise their rights to use the reservoir facilities and the waters carefully, and also to help us by alerting the PUB or the police if they notice anyone behaving suspiciously, or in an unsafe manner in the vicinity of our reservoirs." CHANNEL NEWSASIA