Lynda Hong Channel NewsAsia 30 Jul 11;
SINGAPORE: A 107-year-old country club and an upcoming river safari were both awarded the Active Beautiful and Clean (ABC) Waters Certification 2011.
Keppel Club and River Safari received the certifications for their environmentally friendly water features.
The country club, which has been in its original location since 1904, said its greening practices started four years ago.
Deputy Manager of Keppel Club, Desmond Chua, said the managing of golf courses are now becoming more environmentally friendly.
He added that the widely-held perception that golf courses use too much chemical and waste too much water is changing.
Mr Chua said: "Superintendents who manage the golf course are now equipped with the latest information, knowledge, to develop integrated pest management programme, that will put them in a very responsible way of managing the golf course, which uses chemicals in an orderly manner, in a systematic style.
"Previously, people felt that golf courses excessively use chemicals to maintain their golf courses. But right now, with education and proper training and knowledge."
The club's need for water is provided naturally, using rainwater to irrigate and wash heavy machinery with its nine ponds that are interconnected underground.
Over at the River Safari, one of their ABC Waters Design Features is the open air multi storey carpark at River Safari channels.
Fourteen per cent of the total catchment area rainwater flows down to a bio-retention planter box where it will be filtered by four layers of sand and soil before being channelled to a nearby pond.
Cham Tud Yinn, Director, Exhibit Design & Development, Wildlife Reserves Singapore, said: "River safari is a project where basically we want to highlight how freshwater habitats are endangered and this is the best showcase for river safari.
"For us, being so near the Seletar Reservoir, our first priority is to protect the environment around us, and highlight the beauty of freshwater habitats, and this is the best example for the project."
More similar systems will be implemented near the River Safari's freshwater animal habitats.
- CNA/fa
