Sudsy deposits turn water in Sungei Kallang drain white

Company responsible for yellow liquid in Loyang drain will face action: NEA

Water pollution? Yellowish liquid spotted in Loyang industrial estate's drainage

Resident disturbed to find canal in CCK bright blue-green in colour

Delivery guy disposes of rubbish into canal at East Coast Park

Ew, white liquid spotted in drain in the Katong area

S'pore getting more polluted? Discharge turns Mountbatten drain bright blue

'It looks like a Komodo dragon': Huge monitor lizard spotted in Kallang River

Ball-cutter fish

(Photo from The Sun)

Over the past week, you may have read about the discovery of a fish with a rather unsavory taste for a particularly vulnerable part of the human anatomy.

The Chironomids Part II: Millions of Midges

Male adult midge, Sungei Buloh;
(Photo by Marcus)

Then the Lord said to Moses, "Get up early in the morning and confront Pharaoh as he goes to the river and say to him, 'This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. If you do not let my people go, I will send swarms of flies on you and your officials, on your people and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians will be full of flies; even the ground will be covered with them. But on that day I will deal differently with the land of Goshen, where my people live; no swarms of flies will be there, so that you will know that I, the Lord, am in this land. I will make a distinction between my people and your people. This sign will occur tomorrow.'" And the Lord did this. Dense swarms of flies poured into Pharaoh's palace and into the houses of his officials; throughout Egypt the land was ruined by the flies.

- Exodus 8: 20-24

Midge swarm, Utah;
(Photo by AMICHAELMURRAY)

In the previous post, I discussed some aspects of the biology and ecology of the Chironomidae, also known as non-biting midges. I briefly mentioned the tendency of many midge species to form huge swarms, which can have negative effects on human communities in the vicinity. This post will look at one such swarming event in Singapore.

Bishan Park canal filled with stinking liquid discharge

Bishan Park Canal polluted with paint by nearby condominium

Water pollution? White substance discharged into Upper Thomson stream

Dead python with smashed head found near Kallang River. Did someone kill it?

After NEA check, petrol kiosk still leaking sewage into Bishan canal?

Bishan Park canal clear and doesn't stink now, thanks to STOMP tip-off

Bishan Park canal stinks: Is sewage being discharged into canal?

Polluted? Bright blue liquid runs in Toa Payoh drain

Man catches 3kg pomfret at MBS...with his bare hands

Beautiful art pieces painted on walkways next to Jurong Point

STOMPer John was pleasantly surprised to see beautiful pieces of artwork in Jurong West next to Jurong Point while walking.

John told STOMP:

"I saw about four to five pieces of artwork on the walkway while walking towards the MRT.

"The artworks were just next to Jurong Point 2. They are nice pieces of art in Jurong West and I hope to see more of these."

Related news: Embossed & colourful drain covers to spread message of clean waterways (10th May 2010) (Mirror)
PUB's sticking to it: Drains are not bins (11th May 2010) (Mirror)
PUB drains out message (11th May 2010) (Mirror)

These drain covers have been decorated as part of a campaign by the Public Utilities Board (PUB) to help raise awareness of the fact that drains eventually lead to the reservoirs we depend on for tap water, and discourage littering. I would say that this is one possible way to really get people to realise the larger implications of littering, and see how such ecologically ignorant actions can have subsequent impacts on our own water supply.

While PUB's main focus is on ensuring that the cleanliness of our water supply is not compromised, such a campaign also helps to improve the aesthetic value of our waterways. It is not uncommon for one's view of the river or reservoir to be marred by the sight of floating litter. Ultimately, helping to minimise litter in our waterways can have positive impacts on the health of aquatic organisms, some of which are highly sensitive to any form of pollution.