STOMPer David was surprised by the bright blue tint of the water in this drain along Mountbatten Road and wonders what effect the colour might have on fish there.
The unnatural colour of the water in the drain is disturbingly reminiscent of these chemical tainted rivers in China.
The STOMPer wrote:
"Check out this water pollution at this drain at Mountbatten Road.
"I was walking to a bus stop along Mountbatten Road when suddenly, I saw that the drain water was blue.
"We were concerned about the fish living there. They might die
"We should do something about this."
Blurry photos aside, this certainly indicates a clear case of pollution. It would have been interesting to see if the bright blue colour could be traced to a specific source. This is a cause for concern, especially since the drain probably flows into the Geylang River, which ultimately flows into Kallang Basin and the Marina Reservoir.
Although STOMP supposedly exists as a portal for citizen journalism, reporting of such incidents is now easier, thanks to the development of a smartphone application known as iPUBOne. According to the description, iPUBOne is part of the Public Utilities Board's (PUB) strategy to "invite the public to be the eyes of PUB and report on matters such as flooding, water quality issues, broken railings or missing sewer manholes. The app will also allow iPhone users to share and post information on major incidents involving PUB, such as flooding locations." The app is only available for the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad, and it would be useful if a version for phones running on the Android platform could be developed.
Screenshots of the iPUBOne app;
(Screenshots from iTunes App Store)
PUB's Facebook page and Twitter account also serve as another platform for members of the public to notify the agency on pollution incidents. Although much of the information being disseminated and discussed is focused on flash floods occurring in various parts of urban Singapore after heavy rain, it would be interesting to see if more people could use social media networks, as well as the iPUBOne app in reporting pollution issues. After all, having people take ownership of our water resources is a key part of PUB's vision, and it certainly is essential that we take greater responsibility in ensuring the cleanliness of our reservoirs and waterways.
