A STOMPer saw these workers cleaning up the canal in Tampines and recognized the hard work put in to maintain its cleanliness.
He hopes that people will stop throwing litter into canals as it takes a lot of time to clean them.
Environmentalist told STOMP via email today (Jun 17):
"The Sungei Tampines is a swift flowing river and discharges its water into the Serangoon Harbour.
"This picture was taken at the Tampines Park Connector (PCN) near Tampines Avenue 5.
"Below the bridge, the water is shallow and every other day two men in green vests and yellow boots will come here to scoop up the garbage in the river.
"They stand on the river bed and use a net to scoop up the garbage, then pack it into black plastic bags to be disposed of later.
"The river between Pasir Ris Drive 1 and the TPE is deep and in order to clean up the river, two men in orange vests have to steer a boat to the area beneath the bridge and use a net to scoop up the garbage trapped underneath it.
"The amount of garbage is colossal and it takes about two hours to clear up the mess.
"PUB has done a good job in keeping our rivers clean and costs aside, it takes up many man-hours to clear the garbage in our rivers and make our environment a better place.
"I hope HDB residents living near the PCN will refrain from throwing their rubbish into Sungei Tampines and let us keep all our canals and rivers clean and attractive."
