Pang Sua Pond in Bukit Panjang will be undergoing a S$6.8 million makeover under PUB’s Active, Beautiful, Clean (ABC) Waters Programme.
A new boardwalk will be built by 2016, which will allow residents to have greater connectivity to several facilities in the vicinity. New technologies are also being tested which could result in improved water quality.
Pang Sua Pond helps collect rainwater from its surrounding residential estates before it is pumped to the Upper Seletar Reservoir for storage.
The boardwalk will connect residents to facilities such as the Senja-Cashew Community Club, Bukit Panjang Neighbourhood 5 Park and the future 3G Wellness Centre. Two viewing decks will allow residents to enjoy the scenery, and there will also be a stage for outdoor performances.
The residents are looking forward to the changes.
Bukit Panjang resident Shirley Yeo said: “Of course it helps a lot because I do brisk-walking. So I can bring a group of people for activities. I also think the scenery is very nice and cooling.”
A ground-breaking ceremony for the upcoming ABC Waters project was held on Sunday morning.
At the event, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan said the project is integrated with transport plans.
He said: “I want to have a way in which our children can walk, jog or cycle throughout the town without having to worry about vehicular traffic. So there again, the use of park connectors, the use of every water way, to build an integrated network that connects people at a human level is another key concept behind this plan.”
Once the transformation of the pond is complete, the authorities are planning to do a test that could improve water quality in the pond. Plants that can remove unwanted nutrients in rainwater will be grown in one of the several canals connected to the pond.
Tan Nguan Sen, chief sustainability officer at PUB, said: “If it works, we want to do it in other parts of Singapore. The important thing is, we want to treat the water before it reaches the pond so the water in the pond will be cleaner.”
To further improve water quality in Pang Sua Pond, aerators and a recirculation system will be installed.
The ABC Waters Programme was launched by PUB in 2006 to transform Singapore’s water bodies beyond their utilitarian purpose into clean streams, rivers and lakes.
Over 100 potential locations have been identified for transformation over the next 20 years.
