A DAY will soon come when you can lug your canoe to the canal beneath your Housing Board block and take an evening paddle around the estate.
You can, if you so fancy, also dine alfresco next to a gurgling stream, or stroll through landscaped gardens on a boardwalk, and watch concerts on a waterstage - all in the heartland.
These scenarios will unfold over the next five years as Singapore unlocks its 'blue treasures' - a network of 14 reservoirs, 32 rivers and more than 7,000km of canals and drains.
Called the Active, Beautiful and Clean (ABC) Waters programme, it was launched by PUB, the national water agency, in April last year. One of its primary objectives is to bring people closer to the water so that they can better appreciate the precious resource.
Singaporeans got a preview of this last month when the nation celebrated its 42nd birthday with a parade on the world's biggest floating stage, built on the waters of the future Marina Reservoir.
Dubbed Singapore's first reservoir in the city, the Marina Reservoir is formed by building a dam - scheduled to be completed at the end of the year - spanning 350m across the mouth of the Marina Channel.
At 10,000ha - one-sixth the size of Singapore - it will be the largest and most urbanised catchment here.
The reservoir serves several functions. Primarily, it stores water. But it is also a means of flood control. In the event of a storm, it can pump 6.3 billion gallons out to sea.
It's a recreation centre too, with facilities for water sports. Among other things, the reservoir will boast a pumping station and visitor centre with grass-turfed roofs where visitors can admire the scenic views.
The Marina Reservoir - which is the result of Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew's vision two decades ago - is a new chapter in the Singapore Water Story which began in the 1960s and 70s.
The story began on a dire note: Singapore had not enough water, its rivers were polluted, and flooding was widespread.
To survive, Singapore needed to be self-sustainable where water is concerned.
Mr Khoo Teng Chye, chief executive of PUB, said: 'The idea behind sustainability is that we will have enough, not just for today but for generations to come.'
That's how the idea of the four national taps came into being. The first two taps refer to water imported from Johor under two bilateral agreements which expire in 2011 and 2061, as well as water from local water catchments.
The Singapore River - previously an eyesore - was cleaned up in 10 years. Drains, canals and reservoirs were built to collect rainwater, separate from sewerage systems.
Currently, water catchment areas make up half of Singapore's land surface; it will increase to two thirds by 2009.
The last two taps are Newater, reclaimed water purified by advanced membrane technology in four plants, and desalinated water from a plant built in 2005.
Earlier this week, PUB called a public tender for Singapore's fifth and largest Newater plant, one which will be able to produce 50 million gallons per day (mgd) when completed in Changi in 2010.
Singapore's investments in research and technology on its journey to water self-sustainability have paid handsome dividends. Along the way, it became a thriving industry, boasting about 50 local and international companies, and Singapore is set to become a global hydrohub.
With the taps flowing, Singapore now has a supply of water which is not only diversified but reliable and cost-effective.
But more ambitious plans are in store.
In a speech last year, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Singapore's waterways should do more than meet the country's water needs - they should also enhance the living environment and people's lifestyles.
To do that, the authorities realised that mindsets needed to be changed. In the past, water sources were protected by keeping people away from them. Now, the plan is to bring people closer to water and make them cherish it more.
Mr Khoo said: 'If you get people too hung up about water being strategic, there's going to be some fear about the resource.
'The idea is to get people to see that water is something they can enjoy, and which can improve the quality of their lives and maybe enhance the value of their estate or property.'
Dr Bradley Harley, project director of the Marina Barrage, said: 'Cities all over the world now see water bodies as where people want to be. People like to see and hear water flowing. They like to see birds, paddle in the water.'
He described how urban planning has made the Charles River Basin one of the most densely populated and popular in New England, in the United States.
Harvard University, Boston University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are all located along its banks. It is also lined by parks where water activities are popular.
He said that in South Korea, the restoration of the Cheonggyecheon stream in downtown Seoul has also brought a new verve and pizzazz to the city.
Mr Khoo said: 'Increasingly, cities all over the world are looking at environmental sustainability.'
He added that Singapore had a unique advantage over other cities.
'A lot of their environmental initiatives are driven by different agencies and are not terribly concerted. However, we can do things in an integrated manner.'
Indeed, the many aspects of water management - flood control, collection, treatment - are all undertaken by PUB.
Mr Yap Kheng Guan, PUB's director of 3p (People, Public and Private) Network, said: 'We have to manage every drop of water in a holistic manner. How do you control floods without also losing water? It's a powerful way of managing water when everybody sees it as a resource.'
The challenge now is to get both the private and public sectors to take ownership of water.
The PUB has launched many initiatives to achieve this: newsletters, TV programmes, river adoption programmes, and even a mascot called Water Wally (right) to educate children about the importance of looking after our water resources.
Mr Yap said: 'Look at how businesses and the value of properties along Boat Quay and Clarke Quay took off after the Singapore River was cleaned up.
'Hopefully, it's pervasive. I hope developers will also be persuaded to include water in their developments when they see how attractive it can be.'
The new Khoo Teck Puat hospital in Yishun, he said, has incorporated the water element in its design for the therapeutic benefit of patients: It overlooks Yishun Pond and is set in a lush green setting.
Last month, PM Lee gave a glimpse of waterfront living to come - with scenic lakes, parks and alfresco dining - at the upcoming Punggol 21-plus project.
But at places where the ABC programme has already been under way such as Bedok Reservoir - which has a kayaking facility and a multi-purpose floating deck - the response has been positive.
Engineer Desmond Wong, 34, was kayaking at Bedok Reservoir for the first time when The Straits Times talked to him.
He said: 'The water is calmer and cleaner compared to Kallang River or East Coast. It's a good place for beginners as they can focus on their skills rather than the tides.'
Meanwhile, some lucky HDB residents in Pasir Ris Drive 3 already enjoy waterfront living.
Their apartments overlook a section of the rustic Sungei Api Api, which boasts mangrove trees, a beautiful embankment, a kayak trail as well as boardwalks.
When Pasir Ris New Town was being developed two decades ago, the mangroves were salvaged and replanted, resulting in the almost forest-like surroundings today.
Physiotherapist Senthil Kumar, 36, who has lived there since 2002 said he finds the environment soothing. He takes walks there often with his son Joshua.
He said: 'When the tide changes, you can see monitor lizards, turtles and mudskippers. It really makes you reconnect with nature.'
