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Habitatnews 2003-10: Thursday, 24th April 2003
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“Land use surprise: Coral sites, mangrove areas to go.”
Nature lovers upset by URA plans to develop natural habitat areas that were
expected to be preserved
Straits Times APRIL 22, 2003 By Neo Hui Min
NEW development plans on the drawing board, including the damming of Sungei
Khatib Bongsu to form a reservoir, look set to wipe out a number of natural
habitat sites that were previously thought to have been earmarked for
preservation.
The moves, confirmed by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) late
yesterday, took environmentalists by surprise as those affected were listed
in the 1993 Singapore Green Plan as important nature areas.
But there were indications that the flora and fauna would be affected last
month when the habitats were mysteriously left out of the URA's draft of the
Master Plan - the blueprint which will guide Singapore's land use over the
next 10 to 15 years.
While the plan listed sites such as Bukit Timah nature reserve, Kranji
mangroves and Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve as nature areas, it omitted the
mangrove-rich areas of Sungei Mandai, Sungei Khatib Bongsu and Pulau
Semakau.
Also left out were marine sites off the shores of St John's Island, Pulau
Hantu, Pulau Semakau and Pulau Sudong - all of which are popular with divers
because of the underwater coral reefs.
Responding to queries from The Straits Times, the URA disclosed that the
affected areas were indeed 'committed for strategic and long-term
developments'. Sungei Khatib Bongsu, which is near the Lower Seletar
Reservoir, will be dammed up to form a reservoir as part of plans to meet
Singapore's long-term water needs, it said.
But the Public Utilities Board is looking at ways to minimise the likely
impact of the proposed developments and to rehabilitate existing
bio-diversity in the affected areas, it added.
The URA did not spell out concrete plans for Sungei Mandai, except to say
that the area surrounding it is earmarked for future development. It also
had few details on what would take place at the coral sites.
But it said that being an international port, 'we need our waterways for
anchorage and maritime navigation. We may also need to reclaim land to meet
our land-use needs'. Pulau Semakau, now a landfill, will be developed for
'infrastructure and industrial uses'.
Nature lovers say the marine sites should be left alone as they are rich in
corals. Compared to larger regional countries, Singapore has a high
proportion of hard corals. There are about 150 such species found in reefs
here, compared to 200 in Malaysia and 300 in the Philippines and Indonesia.
To date, Singapore has already lost 60 per cent of its coral reefs to
reclamation.
The news dismayed Nature Society's conservation committee chairman Ho Hua
Chew: 'We're definitely unhappy that the sites are no longer treated as
nature areas. The Master Plan should uphold the nature sites endorsed in the
Singapore Green Plan.'
The society intends to appeal to the URA, which did say yesterday that it
would 'preserve these sites for as long as they are not needed for
development'.
It also reiterated that in 'land-scarce Singapore, we have to adopt a
pragmatic approach to balancing nature conservation and other development
needs'.
--- Thanks to Alvin Wong for the sms alert and the post to nature-singapore
mailing list, 22 Apr 2003.
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