Community effort to beautify Alexandra Canal

Alvina Soh Today Online 8 Jan 11;

SINGAPORE - The community got together Friday to do some wetland planting at Alexandra Canal as part of the Active, Beautiful and Clean Waters Programme.

The initiative was part of a makeover of the canal to make it a recreational attraction for the public. The project is also intended to inculcate a sense of ownership in the canal.

Pupils from Crescent Girls School and CHIJ Kellock Primary got their hands dirty for a good cause by planting the wetlands along a 1.2-kilometre stretch of the canal, from Tanglin Road to Delta Road.

"I feel really good because it's like I'm giving back to society, like I'm playing my part for the people who live here, the residents. So it feels very satisfying," said Crescent Girls student Lim Fang Yi.

Other organisations also got into the act.

National water agency PUB manager (3P Network) Mas Shafreen said, "It's all about getting the community involved. So you're looking at secondary school students interacting with primary school students, interacting with government organisations as well as private sector organisations. So, the takeaway is not just for the students."

Also planned for the area: A lookout deck at Tanglin, a shallow water play area and an educational hut.

Alvina Soh