Siglap Canal to become a place to hang out

SINGAPORE - Siglap Canal will be a greener, more beautiful waterway by 2015.

Parts of the 3.2km-long canal will undergo a makeover, with enhancements such as a community deck and rain gardens.

A 150m section next to the Kampong Kembangan Community Club will be decked over, providing a space for activities such as line-dancing and taiji.

Upstream, national water agency PUB will work with Telok Kurau Primary School to design a rain garden and a rooftop garden. These help to clean stormwater runoff before it is discharged into the canal.

It is also building a detention tank, which will help to reduce the peak flow of stormwater into the drainage system.

These new features were unveiled at yesterday's groundbreaking ceremony for the project, which was attended by four of the five MPs for Marine Parade GRC including Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong and Acting Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-Jin, who was guest of honour.

PUB director of catchment and waterways Tan Nguan Sen said he hopes the enhancements will bring residents in the area together.

"Through the projects... we hope to enhance the quality of the living environment, promote community bonding, and bring residents and students closer to the waters, so that they can better appreciate and cherish this resource," he said.

Siglap Canal runs between Bedok Reservoir Road and the sea off East Coast beach.

Along the way, it passes through estates like Kembangan, Telok Kurau and Marine Parade.

The canal's new look is part of the PUB's Active, Beautiful, Clean (ABC) Waters Programme, which aims to beautify Singapore's water bodies.

Acting Manpower Minister Mr Tan said the new project would make the area more livable. "Water adds a different dimension to the place," he added. "It's quite exciting there (and) it's something we're looking forward to."

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