Audrey Tan The Straits Times AsiaOne 6 May 15;
In 2006, national water agency PUB started a progranne to turn Singapore's drains, canals and reservoirs into recreational areas. PUB has completed 27 projects under its Active, Beautiful, Clean (ABC) Waters programme.
Audrey Tan highlights some of these projects.
Kolam Ayer ABC Waterfront
The first ABC Waters project officially opened in April 2008. It transformed a 250m stretch of Kallang River between Bendeemer Road and Kolam Ayer Pedestrian Bridge into a city oasis.
Kayaking and dragon boating are a regular feature along this stretch of water.
Features:
- Tiled pavements
- Floating Deck: An example of an interactive water feature that allows residents to get closer to the water.
Rochor Canal
One of the three latest ABC Waters projects officially opened by the PUB this year. The 1.1km stretch is the first official waterway improvement in the downtown area.
Features:
- Rain Gardens: They not only beautify the area but also act as a filter for rainwater run-off.
- Two pedestrian bridges improve the connectivity between neighbouring developments on both sides of the river.
Kallang River@ Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park
Unveiled in 2012, this is the flagship project of the ABC Waters programme. Costing about $76 million, work on the 3km-long waterway was done in collaboration with the National Parks Board.
Features:
- A concrete canal was turned into a meandering river, complete with gentle slopes and plant-covered banks.
- The river is designed for both dry weather and storms. In dry weather, the river flow will be confined to a narrow stream. But during a storm, the water level rises without flooding the whole park due to the gentle slopes next to the river.
