Straits Times 26 Aug 13;
PASIR Ris residents can look forward to more pleasant waterways and a new hawker centre at the heart of their town in the next few years.
Nearly 1km of the town's two waterways, Sungei Api Api and Sungei Tampines, will be spruced up by 2015.
Current mangroves will be preserved, and more greenery will be planted along the canal walls.
Gardens which filter rainwater through soil and plants will also be installed.
The $7 million makeover is the latest in PUB's ABC Waters programme, which aims to provide "active, beautiful and clean" waterways.
As of last month, 44 waterways out of the more than 100 on the list, have already been upgraded. These include Bishan Park and Kallang River.
Pasir Ris residents will also be getting their first hawker centre soon, at the Pasir Ris Town Park next to the sports complex and the Sungei Api Api canal. It is one of 10 new hawker centres to be built across the island by 2017.
Nurse and long-time Pasir Ris resident Jamiah Jantan, 50, said: "In Pasir Ris, it's very hard to find food stalls. It's good that there will be a food centre here. Working mothers like myself can save time not cooking."
CHARISSA YONG
Upgraded waterfront for Pasir Ris residents by 2015
Sara Grosse Channel NewsAsia 25 Aug 13;
SINGAPORE: Come 2015, Pasir Ris residents will have an upgraded waterfront right at their doorstep when nearly one kilometre of the town's two waterways, Sungei Api Api and Sungei Tampines, will be spruced up.
Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean officiated the groundbreaking ceremony for the water project on Sunday evening.
Located between Tampines Expressway and Pasir Ris Drive 3, the new waterway will have rain gardens as well as additional plantings.
Visitors can also expect signage about the flora and fauna which will be installed along the waterfront.
The upgrading is part of water agency PUB's Active, Beautiful, Clean Waters Programme to transform Singapore's water bodies.
Over 100 potential locations have been identified for implementation over the next 20 to 30 years.
- CNA/ir
Pasir Ris residents to enjoy waterfront experience
Today Online 26 Aug 13;
SINGAPORE — Come 2015, Pasir Ris residents will have an enhanced waterfront right at their doorstep when Sungei Api Api and Sungei Tampines undergo a makeover.
As part of PUB’s Active, Beautiful, Clean Waters (ABC Waters) Programme, Sungei Api Api, located between Tampines Expressway and Pasir Ris Drive 3, will see its existing mangroves preserved, while additional plants and creepers along the canal walls will enhance the greenery.
Cleansing biotopes and rain gardens will be incorporated to cleanse stormwater run-off before it is discharged into the waterway. Educational signage to inform visitors about the flora and fauna that can be found along mangroves will also be installed along the waterway.
In addition, residents can look forward to more communal spaces, including shelters and seats in this area.
At Sungei Tampines, residents will see additional greenery along the river banks and new footpaths that take the community nearer to the river banks.
New seats and shelters will be installed and existing ones refurbished.
Mr Tan Nguan Sen, PUB’s Director of Catchment and Waterways, said: “ABC Waters at Sungei Api Api and Sungei Tampines will enhance the natural mangrove environment that residents have grown to love, while creating a transformed urban waterfront experience for city dwellers, nature lovers and residents alike. By introducing more seating and shelters, we aim to improve the riverside experience for the users, who will at the same time enjoy cleaner water in these two rivers.”
The ABC Waters Programme was launched in 2006 to transform canals and reservoirs into recreational spots.
Three more projects will be completed this year at Sungei Pandan, Sungei Ulu Pandan and Geylang River, while new projects will be started this year at the Kallang River (next to St Andrews School) and Siglap Canal.
Between next year and 2017, other new projects will commence at Kallang Riverside and Jurong Lake.
