PUB turns the use of water into metaphor for family ties this Hari Raya

The Public Utilities Board (PUB), Singapore’s National Water Agency has launched a short film in line with Hari Raya. Done in partnership with Tribal Worldwide Singapore and production house Freeflow Productions, the film was inspired by a Malay proverb “air dicincang tidak akan putus” that translates to “Water doesn’t break apart when you chop it”.According to the press statement given by the team, in the Malay community, water is synonymous with family ties. Highlighting the bond of kinship, the festive film runs for six minutes and is part of PUB’s year-long water conservation campaign, “Make Every Drop Count”. Through the narrative of the film, PUB aims to engage the hearts of Singaporeans and inspire good water conservation habits.The spot centers around two brothers in an orphanage who drift apart when a foster family takes in the older brother, leaving the younger one at the home. The little brother also refuses to seek forgiveness on the day of Hari Raya, which is a cultural practice for Muslims during festive occasions. Fifty years later, the older brother is reminded of the reservoir and takes a trip down memory lane. He then finds out an engraved forgiveness note on the wooden planks at a hut which the brothers sought shelter at as kids, and is moved to tears. The spot ends off saying, “Kinship is as precious as water. Make every drop count.”The spot was uploaded on Facebook yesterday and has garnered over 129,000 views, at the time of writing. The film will only run on PUB’s Facebook and YouTube channels. Watch the film here:https://www.facebook.com/PUBsg/videos/375509809734765/?v=375509809734765Benson Toh, creative director at Tribal Worldwide Singapore said the film centers around a saying that no matter the tribulations family members may go through, the bonds between them can never be broken.Cindy Keng, director of 3P Network, PUB said the film is a different and softer approach, appealing to people’s emotions to convey water messages.“We have refreshed this year’s water conservation campaign with a focus on the amount of effort and processes behind the making of water, to show how every drop of water does not come easy. In a subtle way, by drawing a parallel between water and kinship, we hope to evoke thoughts and reflections about how we should treasure and appreciate precious things in life such as relationships and water,” she added.