In water-stressed Singapore, a search for new solutions to keep the taps flowing

People picnic on the grassy roof of the Marina Barrage pumping station with a view of the Singapore skyline, Saturday, July 22, 2023. The barrage and the adjacent dam separates seawater to create a freshwater reservoir downtown, the city-state's largest and most urbanized catchment area. - AP

SINGAPORE (AP): A crack of thunder booms as dozens of screens in a locked office flash between live video of cars splashing through wet roads, drains sapping the streets dry, and reservoirs collecting the precious rainwater across the tropical island of Singapore.

A team of government employees intently monitors the water, which will be collected and purified for use by the country's six million residents.