Sunday Times 5 Jul 09;
I refer to last Sunday's article, 'Yishun town centre to get new look'.
I live a few minutes' walk from Yishun Pond and walk around it six days a week on my way to and from Yishun Park.
Since the building of the Khoo Teck Puat Hospital began, huge efforts have been made to keep the pond free of the debris washed down the drains which feed it. There have been a large number of trees and flowering shrubs planted on the banks and, generally, the area is kept rubbish-free.
However, I note with sadness that the wild flowers and grass which grow along the banks are frequently cleared, leaving the rocks exposed and ugly.
It also leaves exposed the herons which have made the area their home, when they feed at the water's edge each day. There are also kingfishers nesting nearby which swoop over the pond looking for a meal, sometimes joined by fishing eagles. They nest in Yishun Park. All this natural beauty, it seems, will give way to man-made aesthetics, probably at the expense of the wild life.
Why can't there be benches placed along the banks instead, so that people can relax, enjoy the peace and serenity, and watch the turtles rise to the surface for air?
Why is a lookout tower needed to view the 'panorama' of concrete buildings?
There was a debate about the positioning of the subsidised ward next to the pond, and the reason given was that the patients could benefit from the cool breeze and the view of nearby Yishun Park.
That will be restricted by the proposed tower.
Angela V. Banerjee (Ms)
