Speech by SMS Janil Puthucheary - Committee of Supply 2026

Mr Chairman,

Introduction

1. We are experiencing the effects of climate change today. We must therefore take decisive action to adapt to the new realities we face. 

2. Hence, we designated 2026 as the Year of Climate Adaptation. This requires a multi-pronged approach, which includes enhancing water resilience, heat resilience, and resource resilience.

3. At the heart of all our adaptation efforts is the importance of collective action. Government agencies, businesses, community groups and individuals, all of us have a part to play.   

Water resilience

4. Ms Valerie Lee asked about our water resilience efforts. Our water story is an inspiring one. We are a small island nation with limited natural water resources. Through strong national determination, long-term planning and innovation, we have built a robust and diversified supply of water over decades with our Four National Taps: local catchment water, imported water, NEWater and desalinated water.

5. A recent UN report has declared that the planet has entered global water bankruptcy, with long-term water withdrawals exceeding renewable inflows in many regions across the world. It is crucial that Singapore continues to plan ahead and invest in water infrastructure, so that our water needs continue to be met. We have made good progress.

6. The second phase of the Deep Tunnel Sewerage System (DTSS 2) will expand the conveyance of used water, which becomes feedstock for NEWater production. Construction of DTSS 2 has progressed well, with the deep tunnels substantially completed. At its terminus, the Tuas Water Reclamation Plant and Tuas NEWater Factory are scheduled to commission in phases from 2027. When completed, the DTSS will also free up 150 hectares of land for other uses.

7. We have commenced construction of Changi NEWater Factory 3, and expect works to be completed in 2028. PUB is also carrying out a feasibility study of a potential sixth desalination plant. With climate change, NEWater and desalinated water are key weather-resilient sources that especially strengthen our water resilience.

8. Our water distribution network also remains one of the most efficient in the world, with water losses at about 8%. PUB achieves this with regular maintenance and technology such as sensors to detect and respond to pipe leaks early. 

9. As we invest in building and maintaining our water infrastructure, we should also persist with our water conservation efforts to moderate the growth in water demand. We will continue to work closely with our stakeholders, from households to businesses, to shape behaviours and promote sustainable water use.

Heat resilience

10. To address rising temperatures, we have developed a science-based, multi-pronged heat resilience strategy. As mentioned by Ms Valerie Lee, this is a whole-of-nation effort – academia, Government agencies, and the community must come together so that Singapore continues to be a vibrant, liveable and dynamic city. Mr Ng Shi Xuan asked how we will harmonise standards and share best practices across existing heat resilience efforts.

11. Tackling heat has been an ongoing work of the Government. For example, MSE has been enhancing public awareness on heat stress prevention through the Heat Stress Advisory and communication campaigns, and MND has been incorporating cooling strategies into our city’s urban planning and building design, such as wind corridors to optimise wind flow, and trees to provide shade along key pedestrian routes and public spaces. We had also prepared the national heatwave response plan involving over 30 government agencies and Ministries.

12. As climate change impacts intensify and heat continues to affect all segments of society, we need to tighten Whole-of-Government coordination and enhance our heat resilience strategy so that we holistically address all impacts of heat, including those to the economy and society.

13. We are happy to announce that MSE has established a new “Heat Resilience Policy Office”. 

14. The new Heat Resilience Policy Office will bring together efforts across various agencies, including MND, MOH, MOM and MSF, to chart the way forward for our heat resilience efforts. We will do so in three main ways: coordinate action, oversee research, and represent us internationally.  

15. The Office will develop a Heat Resilience Action Plan across the infrastructure, health, economic and social sectors. The Action Plan will identify priority areas and develop measures to address them, including by extending proven solutions to other sectors. This will also prevent duplicative efforts and ensure that our principles are aligned, while working with individual agencies leading the various initiatives. Some issues that we will need to deal with include – Which areas, sectors or population segments are most at risk, and how can we further support these groups? What additional research is needed for sectors to develop effective, tailored measures? How do we balance the need for additional cooling against the need to meet our emission targets?

16. The Office will work with Government agencies to engage businesses and communities on these important issues, and explore how we can build heat resilience in our local spaces and communities together. I thank Mr Ng Shi Xuan, Ms Valerie Lee and Mr David Hoe for their suggestions. They are practical and worth taking a closer look with the relevant agencies. We will take these onboard as we engage our stakeholders and develop our Action Plan.

17. Coordinated oversight of our research and technology efforts for heat resilience is also needed so that we continue to build capabilities and deepen our knowledge. This ensures that our measures under the Action Plan are backed by science.

18. We will launch the RIE2030 Heat Resilience R&D Programme, to advance capabilities and investments in heat resilience research through two complementary pillars – one focusing on infrastructure interventions, and the other on understanding and managing impact of heat on society. As part of this programme, we will launch a $40 million “Adapting to Heat Impacts” Funding Initiative, which will step up research in emerging areas such as heat impact and community heat resilience.

19. Mr David Hoe asked how our heat resilience plans will cater to vulnerable groups. This will be a key area of our research under the new Funding Initiative. We will devote more resources to study and protect those who are more vulnerable to heat, such as the elderly and the very young, and those who are more exposed to heat, such as outdoor workers. We aim to better understand how heat affects us all, and develop tailored guidelines and solutions to help everyone thrive in a warming world.

20. This new bound of research builds on work that we have done over the years, bringing together researchers and agencies to co-create innovative solutions. For example, under the Cooling Singapore 2.0 project, researchers have worked with Government agencies to develop an island-wide Digital Urban Climate Twin to simulate Singapore’s urban climate and assess the effectiveness of various cooling strategies. This will guide agencies in testing and implementing heat mitigation strategies.

21. As we chart out our next bound of research efforts under the RIE2030 Heat Resilience R&D Programme, we call for researchers and industry to join us on this journey.

22. The Office will also lead international engagements and collaborations on heat resilience. We will share our efforts and learn from other countries’ best practices. This is not new, but will now be more coordinated. For instance, following the success of the Digital Urban Climate Twin by the Singapore-ETH Centre, local authorities in Brazil are piloting the tool to simulate city- and district-level climate change scenarios.

23. This heat resilience strategy also works alongside existing efforts, such as the Go 25 national movement.

24. Launched last year, Go 25 encourages behavioural change by getting residents to set the indoor air-conditioning temperature at 25 degrees in their homes, offices and buildings where possible. The aim is to tackle overcooling and reduce energy use, without sacrificing thermal comfort.

25. The campaign in 2025 saw strong participation from around 200 industry partners who committed to reduce over-cooling, adopt sustainable practices, and build long-term heat resilience. The energy efficiency pledges will translate to at least $6.4 million in annual savings.

26. A win for the environment and long-term cost savings, without compromising on thermal comfort. I encourage members to visit the common spaces of our integrated hubs, such as Our Tampines Hub and Wisma Geylang Serai, as well as our community clubs such as Yuhua CC and Kebun Baru CC. They have pledged to Go 25 and installed hybrid cooling systems, which include a combination of fans and air-conditioning, to keep our shared spaces comfortable. 

Resource resilience

27. As we adapt to climate change, we must also work to mitigate our impact on the environment. For households, residents can use vouchers under the Climate Friendly Households Programme (CFHP) to purchase energy and water efficient household appliances. Ms Hany Soh asked about our plans for this programme. Next month, we will expand its eligibility to include 5-tick clothes dryers and induction stoves.

28. Creating a circular economy is another key enabler of climate mitigation. By shifting towards mindful consumption and sustainable habits of reducing, reusing and recycling, we can minimise the amount of waste disposed of.  

29. I thank Mr Abdul Muhaimin, Ms Lee Hui Ying, Ms Poh Li San and Mr Pritam Singh for their interest in waste reduction and recycling. Since launching the Zero Waste Masterplan in 2019, we have introduced segregated recycling to complement mixed recycling through the blue bins. 

30. For example, we introduced Singapore’s first Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme in 2021 to ensure proper end-of-life management and recycling of e-waste. For food waste, the Good Samaritan Food Donation Act, which commenced in 2025, will facilitate the donation of surplus food to beneficiaries. In addition, under the Resource Sustainability Act, new commercial and industrial buildings that generate large amount of food waste are required to segregate them for treatment and reporting.

31. One waste stream that deserves particular attention is packaging waste, of which plastics is a significant component. The amount of packaging waste generated in Singapore forms one third of our domestic waste generated. Our overall recycling rate is low, and for plastics, it is only around 5%. 

32. This is why we are strengthening circularity for packaging. Ms Hany Soh and Ms Lee Hui Ying asked about our efforts to tackle this waste stream. In July 2023, we implemented the Disposable Carrier Bag Charge. Since then, participating supermarkets have reported a 70 to 80 per cent reduction in the number of bags issued at checkout.

33. Mr Dennis Tan also asked if we will expand our EPR scheme to enhance producer accountability in managing waste. We had recently discussed in the House our second EPR, the Beverage Container Return Scheme or BCRS. In a few weeks the scheme will launch with the name “Return Right”.

34. Return Right began as a recommendation by a Recycle Right Citizens’ Workgroup in 2019. This House supported legislative changes to enact the scheme in 2023. Subsequently, a consortium of producers came together to form BCRS Ltd. to operationalise the scheme. With the scheme, we expect to recover over 16,000 tonnes of material every year for recycling.

35. Through Return Right, we hope that Singaporeans will also become more mindful of the packaging they consume, dispose of waste properly to keep our shared spaces clean, and practise good recycling habits, which will reduce contamination in our blue recycling bins.

36. Return Right would require all of us to make some adjustments – producers, retailers, consumers, food shops and more. Based on the experiences in other countries, it will take some time for the scheme to settle into a steady cadence.

37. While the scheme starts in April, containers bearing the scheme’s deposit mark will gradually enter the market over the transition period, with widespread availability by August and September this year. This will give everyone some time to transit to a new way of recycling.

38. In the coming weeks, we will expand outreach efforts with partners, scale up online publicity, and see materials at stores explaining how the scheme works and where to recycle.

39. Major supermarket operators have come together to provide greater clarity in price displays for consumers. They have collectively decided to display beverage prices on shelves without including the 10-cent deposit, and reflect that the deposit will be charged at checkout. We will continue to work closely with the industry to ensure transparent pricing for consumers.

40. We are also working with BCRS Ltd. to make recycling as practical as possible, while keeping the cost of operations reasonable. Efforts are underway to deploy over 1,000 Return Right reverse vending machines or RVMs by 1 April, where consumers can get their 10-cent deposit refunded via SimplyGo EZ-Link cards and concession cards, and DBS PayLah!. At launch, there will be roving ambassadors to assist consumers in the use of the RVMs. 

41. We will progressively increase the RVMs deployed to 2,000 within the first year as more containers with the 10-cent deposit mark enter circulation. Some of these additional RVM locations have already been identified, and the remaining ones will be located based on return patterns, and feedback from the community and other stakeholders.

42. We recognise that some seniors and persons with disabilities may require additional support to adapt to the scheme. We will therefore work with community partners such as TOUCH Community Services, Tzu-Chi Foundation (Singapore) and the Singapore Environment Council to reach out to these groups, to better help them understand the scheme and address any challenges they may face in returning their beverage containers. We are also working with SG Enable to improve the return experience.

43. I have spoken about purchasing beverages from the supermarket or a retail shop, and returning them at the RVMs. But what happens when we order a beverage while dining outside in a restaurant? The F&B landscape in Singapore is very diverse, with different settings and operating models. To address this, we have identified two main typologies, which will be clearly differentiated for consumers’ ease. 

44. Some restaurants and food shops have indicated that they plan to collect back the containers of beverages consumed during dining-in and hence they will not charge their customers the 10-cent deposit. These establishments will be known as Return Right F&B outlets. Because they will take care of the container, they are taking on the responsibility, and so they will not transfer that responsibility on to their customers. They will not be charging their customers the 10-cent deposit when you are dining in.

    • They will either serve the beverages in cups or glasses without containers; or serve the drinks with the containers, with the understanding that customers leave them behind or at the tray return point after consumption for collection by the outlet.

    • To help diners easily identify these outlets, they will display signages and decals prominently.

    • For the customer, this arrangement will be the same as the current dining experience. However, it will require additional effort and some operational adjustments for the F&B operators. We will therefore provide a one-time support of $500 per food shop on application.

45. For restaurants and food shops not participating in the Return Right F&B scheme, the default arrangement will apply – beverage containers will be sold with the 10-cent deposit. In short, the 10-cent deposit follows the container and the responsibility then to deal with the container and recycle it.

46. This default arrangement is also more suitable for certain settings, such as hawker centres and most coffeeshops. In these settings, takeback arrangements could be challenging due to the porous nature of dining areas and the presence of multiple drink stalls within the same area in the case of hawker centres. 

47. Most HDB coffeeshops will be within a 5-minute walk from an RVM. For hawker centres, which serve as high-footfall community gathering points, an RVM will be placed either within the premises or nearby once the RVMs are fully deployed.

48. Recycling is a shared responsibility, and everyone has a role to play. We can each do our part in making beverage container return work. This does require some adjustments. But every small effort counts, and together, we can build a greener and more sustainable Singapore.

Building a Cleaner and Healthier Singapore Together

49. The spirit of shared responsibility and collective action must extend to how we take care of our common spaces. I thank Mr David Hoe and Ms Lee Hui Ying for raising the topics of high-rise littering, second-hand smoke, and pest management as these are important issues that require everyone to play their part.

50. To address persistent feedback on high-rise littering, NEA is piloting an enhanced partnership with Town Councils. Under this initiative, each Town Council is provided with two surveillance camera deployments per month to enable faster and more targeted intervention for high-rise littering cases. Since the pilot started in October 2025, 39 cameras have been deployed with a 30% catch-rate, an encouraging result from our closer collaboration.

51. To reduce public exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke, NEA has progressively expanded smoking prohibitions to over 49,000 public places across Singapore, up from 32,000 in 2021. These measures are supplemented by targeted enforcement, including more than 900 thermal camera deployments in HDB common areas with persistent feedback since 2019. These cameras effectively detected smoking offences in about 44% of the deployments.

52. On vector control, NEA has tightened its enforcement against rat-related lapses. About 1,200 enforcement actions were taken by NEA and SFA against premises owners and managers for rat-related lapses in 2025, of which about 560 were for refuse management lapses. NEA will also continue to support effective vector control, working with stakeholders to raise service standards and enhancing capabilities through training and information sharing. To suppress the mosquito population, NEA has also expanded Project Wolbachia, which will cover 740,000 households by March 2026, up from 580,000 households in April 2025.

53. Relying on regulations and enforcement alone is not enough. Collective effort by the community remains critical in helping us safeguard public health. Smokers should be considerate of those around them when they smoke. Premises owners and residents have a responsibility to prevent mosquito breeding and rat infestation.

Conclusion

54. Mr Chairman, climate adaptation requires a collective effort. As we chart our next-bound efforts in strengthening our water, heat and resource resilience, everyone can play their part.

55. This is a vision for today and for the future. There is no time to waste. Everyone, from Government to industry to the community, can help build a liveable Singapore today, and for many years to come.