Kallang River makeover

Ho Lian-Yi, The New Paper 13 Jan 08;

Viewing decks, giant screws and fun wheel dot Kolam Ayer's new waterfront

THE Kallang River flowed languidly, muddy from the sediment churned up by heavy rains the night before.

Here, where it dissects the heartland estate of Kolam Ayer near Geylang Bahru, is not its most idyllic part.

Bare concrete lines its sides, brown from age. Housing Board flats tower over the water and industrial buildings sit in the distance. Tall cranes on the opposite shore rumble busily, building new HDB flats.

But it is about to get a lot prettier.

PUB, the national water agency, will soon finish its project to bring waterfront living to heartlanders at Kolam Ayer.

A PUB officer, who was showing this reporter around on Wednesday, said: 'This area was chosen as it is near the residents.'

It is part of Active, Beautiful, Clean (ABC) Waters, a programme to transform Singapore's reservoirs, rivers and canals into recreation centres over the next 10 to 15 years.

ABC Waters at Kolam Ayer is part of the programme's first phase, which will be implemented islandwide over the next five years, and includes upgrading Bedok and MacRitchie Reservoirs. Work on the 200m stretch of the river at Kolam Ayer costs $2.5million.

Work started in April 2006. It is expected to be finished in end-February this year.

Already the viewing decks - wooden platforms over the river - are complete.

On the water sat the skeleton of a floating deck, to be paved with wooden boards.

The mostly-finished biotope - an array of vegetation planted along the bank to act as a natural cleansing system for the river - is already giving the budding park a garden feel.

Most eye-catching, at this time, are the three large Archimedes Screws that jab from the park like ridged fingers into the Kallang River.

Made of stainless steel, they are powered by good old human muscle. Turn a wheel and the screw turns, drawing up water that flows into the biotope.

It exists for entertainment and educational purposes, not practical ones, considering the laborious effort it took this reporter to muster up a middling flow.

'This is more for children,' said the PUB officer while showing this reporter around.

The water flows to a large wheel, which is connected to a set of pedals. Work the pedals to make the wheel churn and get a workout.

To find out what residents wanted, PUB invited 120 participants to check out the newest attraction in their neighbourhood last month.

Suggestions included kayaking, carnivals, concerts and mini-gardens, where residents can grow their own plants.

One participant, Mr Ma'il Bin Karchil, 47, is vice-chairman of the Kolam Ayer Community Club Senior Citizens' Executive Committee.

SENSE OF BELONGING

He said the river used to be dirty but it was much cleaner now. ABC Waters at Kolam Ayer, he felt, would give residents a sense of belonging and they would become less likely to throw rubbish into the water.

Mr P Subramaniam, 59, a freelance interpreter, is also enthusiastic and agreed that the park is like bringing a little of the East Coast into the heartland.

'It's a good thing. They should have done (the programme) years ago. At least they're doing it now,' said Mr Subramaniam, who has lived in nearby Geylang Bahru since 1975.

Not everyone was entirely pleased, though. One resident, Mr Sun Wenlong, 70, a former taxi driver, complained that the area did not have enough facilities for old people. He also wondered if there'll be enough space on the river for so many activities.

Still, there is one activity, loved by young and old, that the new park will certainly be used for.

Fishing.

At the charming Kolam Ayer Bridge, two middle-aged fishermen threw their lines.

Half an hour later, a boy cycled by and joined them.

One of the fishermen, Mr Jeffrey Lin, a 47-year-old painter, said in Mandarin: 'There's lots of fish in the water.'

As he spoke, his friend hooked a small silver fish.

'Fishing is fun. When the park is built, it'll be even better,' he said.