Active, Beautiful, Clean Waters programme brings people together
Kezia Toh Straits Times 12 Oct 11;
THE money the Government has poured into water resources is a good investment that will pay dividends in the years to come, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan said yesterday. He was speaking at the annual Watermark Award ceremony and the opening of the second phase of the Active, Beautiful, Clean (ABC) Waters programme at MacRitchie Reservoir.
But Dr Balakrishnan - who took on the portfolio after the May general election - said he initially wondered why so much money was spent on water resources.
'I must admit that when I first came to the ministry, I was wondering why (national water agency) PUB was devoting so much value, so many resources to the Active, Beautiful, Clean Waters programme,' he said. 'Because ultimately, what I saw was, they were creating a park using the water resources.'
However, he found that the end result was to get people to come together.
'I realised that it goes far beyond just a cosmetic or aesthetic aspect,' said Dr Balakrishnan, who was formerly the minister for community development, youth and sports. 'But many people must really understand the critical role that our water resources play in Singapore.'
He added that the ABC programme was about bringing people to the water, 'or in this case, walking on water'.
He was referring to the new 40m-long submerged boardwalk at MacRitchie Reservoir, which will allow visitors to walk through ankle-deep water and view water plants and other aquatic life.
The boardwalk was officially unveiled yesterday, along with other facilities such as a space for a hilltop restaurant - which could be open by early next year - and improvements to the iconic zigzag bridge and bandstand.
Improvements have also been made to the tomb of Lim Bo Seng, with new information panels about the World WarII resistance hero.
Speaking to about 150 people at the event, Dr Balakrishnan added that working on beautifying water features here also has a functional purpose - to keep water clean and ensure it is of good quality.
Some projects under the ABC Waters programme, introduced in 2007, include the $34 million makeover of Alexandra Canal, $47.7 million for the Lorong Halus Wetland area, and $6.95 million on Pandan Reservoir.
Under this scheme, utilitarian drains, canals and reservoirs are turned into beautiful and clean streams and lakes.
MacRitchie Reservoir is the 16th water project to be completed under the ABC programme.
Dr Balakrishnan said: 'I've come to the conclusion that this is indeed money well-spent, an investment that will bear much fruit in the years to come.'
New features at MacRitchie Reservoir
Channel NewsAsia 11 Oct 11;
SINGAPORE: The second phase of the "Active, Beautiful, Clean Waters" initiative at MacRitchie Reservoir opened Tuesday evening with new water features.
MacRitchie Reservoir, Singapore's oldest, now has improved pathways, a refurbished zig-zag bridge and a submerged boardwalk.
Gracing the event, Environment and Water Resources Minister Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, said 15 ABC Waters projects have been completed so far, and this has created new hotspots for recreational and community activities.
Beyond these enhancements, he said, the project is also about bringing people closer to the waters so they will value and cherish Singapore's water resources.
"This process of community integration and education needs to go on... Keeping and creating beautiful waters also has a functioning purpose of keeping our water clean and ensuring that we drink quality water," said Dr Balakrishnan.
"(It is) an investment that will bear much fruit in the years to come."
Dr Balakrishnan also gave out Watermark Awards to five organisations to honour their contribution to water conservation.
The award recipients are Bendemeer Primary School, Nature Society (Singapore), Sony Electronics Asia Pacific, Singapore Civil Defence Force and Fuhua Primary School.
- CNA/cc
Organisations lauded for water conservation efforts
Wendy Wong Channel NewsAsia 11 Oct 11;
SINGAPORE: Five organisations have been honoured with this year's Watermark Award for their contribution to water conservation.
They are the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), Fuhua Primary, Sony Electronics Asia, The Nature Society of Singapore and Bendemeer Primary School.
Fuhua Primary constructed a wetland two years ago for its aquaponic system in an effort to go green.
Rainwater collected is filtered through the system's soil and plants.
The system is also used as an educational tool for the pupils to learn about water recycling.
Other eco-friendly initiatives include students teaching kindergartens how to build miniature terraniums and collecting rainwater to water plants.
Another Watermark Award winner is the SCDF.
Its Watermist Technology, first implemented in 2004, reduces water usage by up to 90 per cent.
The technology uses specially-designed nozzles to generate fine water mist at high pressure.
The SCDF's Civil Defence Academy (CDA) has a recycling system to save water.
All of SCDF's 16 fire stations are equipped with concrete wells for rainwater collection and water collected is reused for firefighting training.
Foo Ying Kai, Rota Commander at the Central Fire Station, said: "We collect rainwater and the water used for our training, we filter it and pump it back to the hydrant for continuous usage, firefighting or any operation that we go through."
The Watermark Award is given out by national water agency PUB. Now into its fifth year, it has been given out to 42 recipients.
- CNA/cc
Fuhua Primary, SCDF, others recognised for efforts to conserve water
Wendy Wong Today Online 12 Oct 11;
SINGAPORE - Fuhua Primary School, which has embarked on a series of eco-friendly initiatives, and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) are among the five winners of the PUB's Watermark Award 2011.
The other recipients of the award - which honours organisations for their contribution to water conservation - are Sony Electronics Asia Pacific, Nature Society (Singapore), and Bendemeer Primary School.
Fuhua Primary constructed a wetland two years ago for its aquaponic system in an effort to go green.
Rainwater collected is filtered through the system's soil and plants.
The system is also used as an educational showcase to learn about water recycling.
Other eco-friendly initiatives include students teaching kindergartens how to build miniature terrariums and collect rainwater to water plants.
As for the SCDF, its Watermist Technology, implemented in 2004, reduces water usage by up to 90 per cent. The technology uses specially-designed nozzles to generate fine water mist at high pressure.
Foo Ying Kai, Rota Commander at the Central Fire Station, said: "We collect rainwater and the water used for our training, filter it, and pump it back to the hydrant for continuous usage, firefighting or any operation that we go through."
The SCDF's Civil Defence Academy has a recycling system to save water.
All of the SCDF's 16 fire stations are equipped with concrete wells for rainwater collection and water collected is reused for firefighting training.
The Watermark Award, now into its fifth year, have so far honoured 42 recipients. Through the award, PUB hopes to encourage better water sustainability.
