Station 1 (The Fishing
Jetty):
 |
We had to wait for about 10minutes for the previous teams
to finish their station at the Fishing Jetty. |
Our first station was the Fishing Jetty, where we tested the quality of the water in Lower Seletar Reservoir. There were 6 categories to test: Debris and Smell, Colour, Turbidity, Temperature, Dissolved Oxygen and pH level.
 |
From left side: A test tube which contains water from the reservoir. Beside it is the packet of white colour pills which is used to put inside the test tube to show different observations
From right side: It is a bottle which is used to collect the water from the reservoir.
From Below: A chart which indicate readings from the observations in the test tube after putting in the pills. |
Debris and Smell
●
On its own, water does not have a smell
●
The smell of the water will give a rough estimate of
pollution sources eg. if you smell mud, it indicates silt is present
●
The water sample collected was odourless and had no
debris on the water surface
Analysis: Relatively clean
Colour
●
Colour of the water can give an indication of what is
inside the water eg. dissolved pollutants or bacteria
●
Water collected was slightly green
Analysis: There was algae suspended in the water collected
Temperature
● Temperature of the water varies with the weather and time of sampling
● Temperature is higher near the surface of the water and lowest at the bottom of the water body
● Temperature of the water is 32 degrees Celsius
Analysis: The temperature was acceptable. Even though the water temperature seemed a little high, it was a little inaccurate as the water was collected in the afternoon, the hottest time of the day.
 |
The chart which was used to indicate different readings (which are:Dissolved Oxygen, pH level and turbidity of the water) which was observed in the water collected at LSR and what the reading meant. |
Turbidity
●
Turbidity refers to level of “murkiness” of the water
ie. how clear the water is
●
Turbidity determines the amount of light which can
penetrate the water surface and reach the different depths of the reservoir
●
Too little light will cause death of aquatic life
●
Turbidity of the water was 4 JTU ( Jackson Turbidity
Unit)
Analysis: Partially turbid
Dissolved oxygen
●
Dissolved oxygen refers to the amount of oxygen
dissolved in a given volume of water.
●
Too low of a dissolved oxygen reading is fatal to
aquatic life
●
The reading was 4 ppm ( parts per million )
Analysis: Dissolved oxygen level is acceptable
pH level
●
The water cannot be too acidic or alkali as this will
harm aquatic life
●
Reading collected is 7-8
Analysis: The pH level is neutral. It is acceptable
Conclusion
●
The overall quality of the water is clean
●
It is not safe to drink the water from the reservoir
as there is presence of bacteria and impurities
●
The reason for such a water quality is because most of
the water from the reservoir comes from drains and canals, which are not
filtered
REFLECTION:
 |
Our members completing their relfections of the 'Fishing Jetty'
station after the station master have finished briefing us. |
Through this activity of water testing, we learnt that there
are different factors which determines how clean the water is. The factors are
namely debris and smell, colour, turbidity, temperature, dissolved oxygen and
pH.
After conducting the water test, we found out that the water at Lower
Seletar Reservoir is relatively clean. However, we cannot drink the water
directly as it contains many impurities which need to go through the water
treatment plant before consumption.
Station 2 ( The Rain
Garden):
What is it?
- ●
It is a bio-retention basin which collects, retains and
treats rainwater runoff that flows from the park
- ●
This filtered rainwater is further treated and reused
in the water play area and wading stream
- ●
There are a total of 10 species of plants in the Rain
Garden
Advantages of such a system:
● Encourages
the creation of habitats and encourages biodiversity between plants and
animals, as evidence from the variety of fauna located there eg. spiders
● Prevents
algae bloom:
- Plants act as a filter to
sift out the algae
- Absorbs excess nutrients like
nitrates and phosphorus that causes algae bloom
● Which thus
ensures survival of marine life with clean water provided for them
How does the Rain Garden work?
Reflection activity:
Being a small country with no
natural resources, Singapore needs to come up with ways to sustain its
population, eg. water supply for all.
Through this activity, we learnt that
Singapore collects water from the rain garden.The bio-retention swales serve to treat
rainwater and acts as a filter to remove dirt and chemicals, so as to obtain
pure water.
This pure water is then channeled into the reservoir, a water
catchment area. The water in the reservoir will ultimately be further purified
in treat
Station 3 (
Litter Trap ):
What is it?
 |
The way in which water
is traveled to the Litter Trap |
 |
The system at the Litter Trap which
traps litter before the water goes in to LSR |
● As the name
says so, it is a device that traps litter coming in from the canals that lead
into the reservoir.
It is strategically located at the mouth of the canal as it
is able to trap the most rubbish, preventing the rubbish to drift away further
into the reservoir.
● We learnt
how many recreational activities (kayaking, jogging etc.), which though seem
harmless, actually have a very damaging effect on the environment
● A specific
example would be jogging. When joggers drink bottled water to refresh
themselves, they will throw the bottles into the river, thus polluting the
reservoir
Reflection:
 |
| A turtle spotted at the Litter Trap |
Singapore has come up with many
ways to keep Singapore clean eg. the litter trap but the decision ultimately
lies in the people themselves. There is a limit to how technology can help us
and the people have to be proactive in the journey to make Singapore a clean
and green city.
Through this activity, we have learnt ways of reducing the
amount of rubbish created, for example by picking up the plastic wrappers used
to store food after picnicking.
Station 4 (
Heritage Deck - Viewing Gallery ):
Left Picture: The heritage deck seen from afar.
Right Picture: A part of the structure at the Heritage Deck from up close.
What is it?
● The viewing
gallery’s structure was built to resemble a fishing net. It was built in this
way to preserve the old heritage so that we can appreciate it.
● To better
appreciate the beautiful environment around us, facilitators carried out an
activity whereby the students had to write a postcard for a friend overseas on
the beauty of Lower Seletar Reservoir
Reflection:
We find that the structure of the
viewing gallery is really unique and memorable.
The architect actually designed
the structure of the viewing gallery as a fishing net so as to remind us of the
daily activities of the people back in the past. Thus, the history of Singapore
would not fade away with the younger generations.
Station 5 (
Heritage Deck - Heritage Panels):
 |
There are two panels at LSR on the platform towards the
viewing gallery. |
● Heritage
panel is a board of knowledge detailing the history of the Lower Seletar
Reservoir and its similarities and differences, from then to now.
● Lower
Seletar Reservoir used to be named “Selita”, which means Straits in Malay
● People of
that time traded for tobacco and kerosene and grew crops such as gambier and
pepper
Reflection:
Our group was really impressed by
the information that was put up on the heritage panel as the information are
really detailed and we actually learnt a lot about the history of the lower
seletar reservoir.
For example, Lower Seletar Reservoir was used to be known as
’’Selita”, which means straits in Malay. Also, we found out that Lower Seletar
Reservoir was built in 1920 as the third reservoir following MacRitchie and
Peirce Reservoir in order to support Singapore’s increasing population and
industrialization at that time.
