Head to Pandan Reservoir for a relaxing day

STOMPer Entomologist often goes to Pandan Reservoir to relax and enjoy the scenery.

In an email to STOMP today (Jan 11), the STOMPer says:

"The Pandan Reservoir at West Coast Road is an oasis of peace that I frequent on weekends. In the evening I usually see crowds of foreign workers congregating on the grassy slopes for a picnic.

"When you look at the water and the vast sky overhead, you will experience a calmness over your soul.

"The floating plants are a unique feature of this reservoir.

"A brown caterpillar was moving up and down looking for food.

"A dead frog was exposed to the heat of the afternoon sun for a few days and it now looks like a dried cuttlefish."

"Overgrown creepers at Penjuru bus stop gives me sense that living things lurk behind"

STOMPer Bus commuter doesn't feel safe when he waits for a bus at the Pandan Reservoir bus stop along Penjuru Road. The overgrown creepers make him feel as if there are hornets and snakes lurking in them.

Says this STOMPer:

"This picture was taken at a bus stop opposite the Pandan Reservoir at Penjuru Road.

"The creepers are overgrown and covering the railings beside the drains.

"Whenever I wait here for the bus to arrive, I have a sense of trepidation that there might be hornets and snakes lurking in the bushes.

"I hope the creepers could be removed for public safety."

Seriously, some people really have nothing better to do.

Dangerous tree stumps in Teban Gardens can lead to fatal accident

These bare tree stumps left by the road at Teban Gardens Crescent are a danger to pedestrians as they might fall during thunderstorms, says STOMPer Weak Heart.

The sender hopes that something can be done to remove these dangerous stumps so that an accident can be prevented.

In an email, STOMPer Weak Heart says:

"These pictures were taken at Teban Gardens Crescent(TGC).

"There are many vertical tree stumps left near the road.

"Some of the trees are dead and are devoid of leaves.

"I fear that during a thunderstorm, these stumps might fall and hurt passers-by.

"I hope the authorities can chop down these stumps so that they don't pose a hazard to pedestrians.

"I always say my prayers each time I have to walk past TGC."

Penjuru Road canal polluted with oil and other liquids

Look at how white the water is, says STOMPer chemical engineer, who is concerned about the polluted water in Penjuru Road canal.

The STOMPer hopes relevant action will be taken to stop this pollution.

He says:

"These pictures were taken at a canal at Penjuru Road.

"Some of the factories have been discharging a white liquid and oil into the canal.

"All these pollutants will flow into the rivers and the open sea and kill marine life.

"I hope NEA will conduct more stringent checks on these sources of pollution of our waterways."

The nearest major bodies of water in the vicinity include Pandan Reservoir, Sungei Bajau Kanan, as well as Jurong Lake.

Man ignores warning signs to fish and swim in Sungei Pandan

This man ignored nearby warning notices, plunging into the deep and muddy waters of Sungei Pandan to swim and net fish there.

STOMPer Swimmer describes what he saw:

"These pictures were taken near the Sungei Pandan near the AYE.

"This man came on his bicycle and after parking he plunged into the water to swim and fish. He was using a net to fish in the muddy waters.

"This river is deep and it is dangerous to fish in the muddy water.

"The PUB has put up notices to warn park users not to enter the canals and rivers.

"To this man the fish was of more value than his life."

Jalan Buroh overcrowded with plants and covered in litter

The pathways and overhead bridge at Jalan Buroh are such a hassle to walk on because of the protruding leaves and branches of plants nearby and rubbish littered on the ground, says STOMPer Factory Worker.

In an email, Factory Worker says:

"These pictures were taken at Jalan Buroh. The walkway is partially covered by the overhanging branches of the Baphia plants.

"Some bushes grow over the overhead bridge and create an obstruction for pedestrians.

"There is so much litter on the walkway."

Whether it's for a romantic date or shade, there's a tree trunk for every occasion

Even nature is ergonomical. These tree trunks from various parks in Singapore show how they are designed to fit any occasion, from a romantic date to a leisure outing.

STOMPer Park Lover, the photographer of these photos, said:

"The first picture was taken at the Kallang Riverside Park. This coconut tree has a concave trunk and many courting couples like to sit here to watch the canoeists paddling by.

"The second picture was taken at the Ulu Pandan PCN and this tree has a convex trunk.

"The next two pictures were taken at the East Coast Park and the first tree has a lot of warts on its trunk (photo 3) and the second tree (photo 4) has low branches for people to sit and get some shade from the hot afternoon sun."

EDIT: How weird, this post has been removed from STOMP.

Trees under flyover find a way to grow healthily up to 80m high

These trees planted beneath the Penjuru Flyover are very intelligent as they have found a way to reach 80 metres above the ground by shooting through the gap in between the pair of flyovers.

This way, they can get ample sunlight and grow healthily, says the sender who spotted them.

STOMPer Taxidermist says:

"These pictures were taken at the Penjuru Flyover near Jalan Buroh.

"There is a pair of flyovers and in the middle is a gap.

"The trees planted in the middle seem to be quite intelligent as they shoot straight up into the air and grow to a height of about 80m.

"The trunks are straight and the leaves get plenty of sunlight for photosynthesis.

"I was wondering if the tree had grown sideways beneath the flyover and then grown upwards then it would have taken a longer time to reach the sunlight.

"Anyway if you are driving on the flyover the trees are a sight to behold."

Canal at Ulu Pandan Park Connector polluted and filled with rubbish

STOMPer shutterbug is alarmed by the state of this canal at Ulu Pandan Park Connector, which is polluted and filled with rubbish.

This STOMPer says:

"These pictures were taken at the Ulu Pandan Park Connector near the Toh Guan Flyover.

"The water in the canal has assumed a rainbow colour, possibly due to the oil and other pollution causing substances discharged by some of the factories nearby. The image of the building is reflected in the water.

"The canal looks filthy with discarded plastic bags, cups, drink cans and other debris. The water here flows into Sungei Pandan."

Related posts: Pollution at Sungei Pandan wreck lovely scenery (24th June 2009)
Man fishes at Sungei Pandan despite polluted waters (7th June 2009)
Water in Clementi canal turns bright blue (7th February 2009)

It's quite ironic that there is a water reclamation plant just nearby that supplies industrial water and NEWater. When will people ever learn that the responsibility of maintaining the cleanliness of our waterways falls upon all of us? We tend to take for granted the fact that the water that flows from our taps is clean enough to drink, but we seem so myopic that we're unable to realise just how irresponsible disposal of rubbish and other wastes can affect our own water supply.

Pollution at Sungei Pandan wreck lovely scenery

STOMPer Boatman was upset when he spotted, what he called 'serious pollution', at Sungei Pandan at Jalan Buroh.

Says this STOMPer:

"These pictures were taken beneath the bridge that crosses the Sungei Pandan at Jalan Buroh.

"You can easily estimate the extent of environmental pollution of our precious waterways.
"There were lots of drink cans, plastic bags, polystyrene boxes and the area was infested with mosquitoes.

"A wooden rickety pier that was probably put up by the fishermen who came to unload their daily catch. You can see a boat moored by the side.

"The image of the setting sun was reflected in the water of the river. The day was coming to an end and the birds were returning to their homes. It was very peaceful at the bank of the river and the crickets in the bushes began their nocturnal chorus to usher in another night."

A cleanup session was held in these mangroves at Sungei Pandan as part of International Coastal Cleanup Singapore (ICCS) in September last year. In fact, it was the first cleanup held at this site. Part of the 1.37 tonnes of rubbish cleared from just a small area of the mangroves included 39 tyres.

3 sets of photos from the session can be viewed at Flickr (1, 2, 3).

You can also view the overall survey results of that cleanup session over at this link, as well as analysis of the amount of trash collected by the 3 participating groups, Oil Spill Response and East Asia Response Limited, Wildlife Reserves Singapore, and the NUS Raffles Museum Toddycats.

These mangroves are also the focus of blog posts by Siva (who also has a gallery of his trip at this link), Kok Sheng, and most recently, by Ria.

Is environmental pollution killing our flora?

A STOMPer wonders if pollution from the factories near Pandan Reservoir and Jalan Buroh is causing the plants there to wither.

Conservationist told STOMP via email today (Jun 23):

"These pictures were taken at the bicycle track between Pandan Reservoir and Jalan Buroh.

"You can see lots and lots of paper, cigarette boxes, discarded gloves and dead leaves.

"It might appear that the place has not been swept for the last 6 months.

"The plants here do not look healthy as this leaf has lots of holes, possibly eaten by insects.

"As I cycled through this track I could smell acrid smoke and industrial gases from the nearby factories.

"There is much gaseous pollution in this area.

"The healthy plant (Cordyline fruticosa) usually looks bright red but this plant here looks brown and withered.

"The bougainvillea (Bougainvillea glabra) has bright purple bracts but this plant here looks brown and shrivelled.

"The set up of more factories has caused our economy to boom but the downside is that with industrial pollution, our flora will be badly battered."

I wonder what exactly a chewed-up leaf has to do with pollution.

Isn't that just a different-coloured form of bouganvillea?

And I do wish that this particular person would just pick a permanent nickname instead of submitting posts to STOMP under multiple identities. Oh, and by the way, I'm sure real conservationists have much bigger battles to fight.

Fallen tree rips canal railings apart at Sungei Pandan

STOMPer Explorer says this tree could have fallen due to bad weather or due to its roots being attacked by termites.

In an email to STOMP today (June 23), the STOMPer says:

"This is a beaten track which runs by the side of the Cycle and Carriage factory and it runs from Pandan Loop to the Sungei Pandan. Beside this track is a long canal.

"A big tree has crashed and ripped open the railings on the side of the canal.

"It could have fallen due to stormy weather or because of a weak base when the roots were attacked by white ants."

Man fishes at Sungei Pandan despite polluted waters

STOMPer Observer noticed a man fishing at Sungei Pandan near the AYE, despite the river being polluted.

He says:

"This man in a green T-shirt was fishing at Sungei Pandan near the AYE.

"This young man, also an avid angler, was using a fishing line with a hook and he caught some small fish.

"The garbage in the river includes empty plastic bottles, drink boxes, leaves and papers.

"The river looks quite polluted.

"You can also see the reflection of the HDB flats in the river."

Residents enjoy fishing at the Sungei Ulu Pandan park connector

Some residents were seen fishing at the park connector beside Sungei Ulu Pandan last Sunday(22 March).

A STOMPer describes the scenes he saw:

"These pictures were taken at the park connector beside Sungei Ulu Pandan near Clementi Ave 4.

"On Sunday afternoon, some residents from the nearby HDB estate came here armed with fishing rods to try their luck in fishing.

"Some anglers managed to catch some tilapia after waiting for half an hour.

"Some children also swam in the river and they seemed to enjoy themselves."

Danger: Growing tree roots can crack wall of river bank

A big tree at Sungei Pandan near the AYE has been growing on the retaining wall of the river bank, causing cracks on the cemented wall.

A STOMPer feels this is dangerous as the powerful roots may cause the wall to collapse.

He tells STOMP:

"These two pictures were taken at the Sungei Pandan near the AYE.

"There is a big tree growing on the retaining wall of the river bank and cracks have appeared on the cemented wall.

"In time to come the tree will grow bigger and its powerful roots will cause the retaining wall to collapse.

"Since NParks owns the Ulu Pandan Park Connector it could perhaps send its workers to chop down this dangerous tree."

Related posts: Tree growing on old shophouse may cause pillars to give way (2nd February 2009)
This tree has claimed a bridge of its own (30th January 2009)