WATER REDUCTION STRATEGY AND PERFORMANCE
Managing our water supply is critical as our core activities are water-intensive and highly dependent on a reliable supply of water. The Company adopts a holistic approach in maintaining and enhancing the efficiency, resilience, desirability and value of our assets with sound water management practices. This allows us to deliver a reliable supply of water and cost savings to our homeowners and tenants.
Within our managed buildings, the Company draws both potable and NEWater (for non-potable use) from PUB’s utility network, for building operations and maintenance activities. For commercial buildings, water is utilised for cooling towers, toilets, pantries, water features, irrigation and washing activities. At our construction sites, potable water is used mostly by our contractors for sanitation purposes.
| Note: | |
| • | All potable water withdrawal comes from a single third-party water source supplied by PUB. The breakdown of water sources is based on PUB’s Our Water, Our Future report |
| • | Based on PUB’s Our Water, Our Future report, all potable water and NEWater are categorised as freshwater with Total Dissolved Solids levels of ≤1,000 mg/L |
| • | Based on WRI’s Technical Note on Aqueduct Projected Water Stress Country Rankings, the entire area of Singapore is identified to be of high physical risk. The physical risk tool identifies areas of concern exposed to water risks (e.g. droughts or floods) that may impact short- or long-term water availability. As such, all water withdrawal is from water stress areas |
Water Reduction Initiatives
The Company monitors water consumption on a monthly and annual basis to detect any anomalies in water usage that may require attention and identify buildings that may be heavy water consumers, respectively. To reduce reliance on potable water, the Company uses NEWater from Singapore for our operations, where possible.
To date, 10 out of 11 of the Company’s managed buildings (91% of our buildings) have been certified as “Water-Efficient Buildings” by PUB for outstanding water conservation efforts. Recognising that water conservation is a shared responsibility, the Company engages our tenants and homebuyers through initiatives such as our Green Lease Partnership Programme and Green Living Guide. These initiatives promote good water conservation practices that complement the Company’s water-efficient design and features in our buildings.
| Stage in Project Lifecycle | Key Water Management Initiatives | Benefits |
| Design | Incorporate water-efficient fittings and fixtures | Reduce water usage |
| Use recycled water and drought-resistant plants for landscaping | ||
| Harvest rainwater for landscape irrigation | ||
| Incorporate PUB’s Active, Beautiful, Clean (ABC) Waters Design Guidelines to implement environmentally sustainable features | Retain and control stormwater runoff to minimise flooding risk; treat stormwater runoff to reduce impurities discharged into water systems | |
| Construction | Install self-closing taps where applicable | Reduce water usage |
| Collect rainwater for washing wheels of vehicles on-site | ||
| Install water recycling systems for site cleaning | ||
| Install silty water treatment system | Prevent silty water from being discharged into water systems | |
| Operation of Assets | Conduct routine checks on pipes, taps, urinal, and WC flush systems | Prevent water wastage due to leaks or over-sensitive sensors |
| Holistically incorporate water-efficient fixtures and fittings, e.g. flow regulators, self-closing taps | Reduce water usage | |
| Use NEWater for operations that do not require potable water | Reduce reliance on potable water |
In 2023, 50,133 m3 of NEWater were used which is equivalent to 13.3% of the total water used and more than S$22,555 saved as compared to using potable water.
Water Efficiency and Reduction Performance
Recognising that holistic water management enhances the long-term value of our assets and developments, we have continuously implemented water conservation initiatives and tracked our water performance since 2007. The Company achieved the 2023 CDP A List for water security, marking the the fifth year of this recognition and an affirmation of our robust water management strategy. To maintain our strong track record, we regularly review the water management plans for all our properties and introduce initiatives where areas for improvement are identified.
In 2023, the absolute water targets for corporate office and managed buildings were derived from the targeted water use intensity reductions. Inclusive of the operational performance of our construction sites1, an absolute targeted value of 410,000 m3 (number rounded to nearest ten thousand) or below was obtained. The target was met for the year 2023. Refer to ISR 2024 for specific targets set and performance for the Company’s various operations.
| Notes | |
| CDL Corporate Office | |
| • | Estimated numbers were used for the Company’s Corporate Office in January to March 2019, due to the installation of water meters in our corporate office, having relocated from City House to Republic Plaza during this period. Water consumption data from April 2019 was taken from installed water meters. Figures for 2019 have been restated to include water consumption from corporate office pantries |
| CDL Managed Buildings | |
| • | Water used refers to potable water only. Industrial grade NEWater is not included in the amount of water used |
| • | Water use figures have been restated to remove corporate office water usage quantities as they are reported separately in this report |
| CDL Construction Sites | |
| • | Water use intensity for on-site dormitories is not included |
| Note: | |
| # | CBM and City Serviced Offices are not represented here as they are tenants within a building and do not have separate meters to track respective water usage within their facilities |
| * | 2022 figures were restated to incorporate water use amount from monthly variable charges from building owner |
| 1 | Operational performance of construction site are directly added to the absolute target values for corporate office and managed buildings as the set targets for construction are based on completed projects in terms of water use intensity, while the reported numbers in the graphs are for yearly operational water usage for construction sites. |