A walk down memory lane and the future. Took a fascinating walk with the Nature Society and Rail Corridor partnership along our pristine 90 year old Central Pipeline Reserve over the weekend. Many of us have hiked, jogged or cycled along this path for many decades without realizing that it used to convey water from Gunung Pulai in Johor all the way to Pearls Hill Service Reservoir. Even today, these pipelines are fully functional and essential for supplying water to our city centre. We also walked along the Railway Corridor’s most scenic section from Rifle Range Road to Holland Road. The Bukit Timah Railway Station brought back many memories of my childhood. My father used to bring us there after dinner. We would wait for the trains to stop - and occasionally the train driver would let us clamber into his cabin for a few minutes. It was a great thrill. Now that the trains have stopped, I saw many families and friends strolling and cycling - enjoying the greenery and bird life along the way. I shared our plans to provide additional supply for our downtown, including Marina South and Marina East by laying a 22 km pipe from Murnane Service Reservoir to our city centre. Around 11 km of this pipeline will run underneath the southern part of the Railway Corridor. Water has been and will always be an existential strategic issue for Singapore. We need to plan reservoirs, treatment plants and pipelines ahead of demand. Once in place, this essential infrastructure will serve us for many decades. My initial concern was whether this pipe would disrupt the rail corridor. I agreed to this plan because it not only enhances water resilience, but it is also one way of guaranteeing uninterrupted public access along this corridor for hopefully a century and beyond. Our grandchildren should be able to hike along this pipeline just as we have over the original Pipeline Reserve for 90 years. To quote a fellow cycling enthusiast Han Jok Kwang - “This water lifeline will make the land above sacred. Actually, we can be more ambitious in our vision - every reservoir should become a community space; every waterway and major pipeline should become a Blue Connector’ that will link up with our park connector network in order to provide safe access across our island for pedestrians and cyclists. Imagine being able to walk or cycle from Woodlands to Keppel or from Bukit Timah to Marina Bay along the Bukit Timah Canal without encountering any cars. There will be many hurdles to overcome and it will take years, but I believe it is a worthwhile goal to make our city more livable and endearing at a personal level.
Posted on: Mon, 30 Jun 2014 08:52:10 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015