16 ... We needed to convince our people to drink the water, to ensure it is not only always safe, but more importantly acceptable for them to drink it. Before launching NEWater as our third Tap, we held a series of exhibitions, briefings, and advertisements to engender public acceptance. Our then-Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong also gave his personal endorsement by drinking a bottle of NEWater on national television. The apex Muslim religious leader, the Mufti, also endorsed NEWater as halal. Today, the public is firmly behind NEWater as part of our water supply. In 2012, then-UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said, after visiting our NEWater complex, that he was “very much impressed by the idea of recycling waste water to help people have access to safe drinking water” and called NEWater the “elixir of life”.