By Pang Sua Pond was launched on 25 March 2017. The new pond features an 80m-long elevated boardwalk suspended at a height up to 7m, and an outdoor classroom accessible to children from six nearby primary and secondary schools that have adopted the pond.
The boardwalk will make it easier to connect residents to facilities such as the new 3G Wellness Centre, Senja-Cashew Community Club and Bukit Panjang Neighbourhood 5 Park.
The makeover, initiated by Public Utilities Board’s Active, Beautiful, Clean (ABC) Waters Programmme, will also include two lookout decks that will provide a panoramic view of the waterfront, and a multi-purpose stage suited for outdoor performances.
The launch of Pang Sua Pond was unveiled by Minister of Foreign Affairs, who is former-Minister for the Environment and Water Resources and Advisor for the Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan. In the evening, celebrations continued with gusto by a display of fireworks, as well as a dazzling light show. Teo Ho Pin, the Vice-Chairman for Singapore Environment Council was also in attendance.
The celebration in the evening also happened to be on the same day as Earth Hour, and an hour before Singapore participated in the initiative to switch off lights for an hour.
While Earth Hour is symbolic for the environment, Singapore witnessed two different ways to participate in it. On one side of the country, at around 8.30pm, iconic landmarks around Singapore such as the ArtScience Museum, Esplanade, Gardens by the Bay and Singapore Flyer, went dark as non-essential lights were dimmed.
On another side of the country, and an hour before this, Singapore greets the initiative with one of the prettiest pollutant to have contributed to the environmental disaster the world is facing.
Fun fact: Firework smoke is rich in tiny metallic particles. From aluminium to barium compounds, the chemicals used and showered in the air causes air pollution, and can linger in the air for hours. On top of health hazards, fireworks disrupts the environment – which is Earth Hour’s main message – to save the environment.