SINGAPORE, Dec 22 — A small pond in a quiet corner of Pasir Ris Park is home to a pair of rarely spotted Sunda scops owls. Occasionally, a blue-eared kingfisher can be seen swooping by the place.
This spot, known as Kingfisher Pond, is popular among nature lovers and photographers, who are now concerned that a Housing and Development Board (HDB) Build-to-Order (BTO) project near the pond will reduce wildlife sightings.
They fear that the noise and lights from the BTO construction will drive away birds and other wildlife and that they may never return to the area.
For its part, HDB told TODAY that it has engaged nature groups on the project and have incorporated their feedback into the development plans for the site. It has also carried out environmental studies on the site and said that the new BTO project is “sensitively designed based on the findings”.
In a poster placed at the site, HDB also said that a wooded corridor of up 50m will serve as a buffer between the BTO project and the park.
Plans to develop the tract of land were announced by Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean, who is Member of Parliament (MP) at Pasir Ris–Punggol Group Representation Constituency.
The BTO site will take up the current site of Pasir Ris Park’s car park B and the forested area beside it that borders Pasir Ris Drive 3.
Teo said in a Facebook post on November 8 that the new development would meet the “strong demand for housing here, especially from our second generation Pasir Ris residents”.
He added that preparation for the site, which will not encroach into the Kingfisher Pond and the existing mangrove forest near it, will start soon.
This is not the first time that a construction project has caused concern among Pasir Ris residents and nature enthusiasts.
In 2013, some Pasir Ris residents formed a committee in an effort to save a woodland at the junction of Pasir Ris Drive 3 and Elias Road from being developed into an international school.
Today, when TODAY visited the latest site facing scrutiny, a sign at the entrance to car park B stated that the car park will not be open for use anymore on Jan 15.
A smaller sign put up by HDB said that car park C, which is located deeper into the park, will remain in operation.
What nature lovers say
Wildlife enthusiasts and photographers approached by TODAY this morning at Pasir Ris Park bemoaned the loss of the forested area as well as the disturbance that the project would cause to surrounding flora and fauna.
Freelance nature guide Richard Koh said that the construction site would mean noise pollution.
This would affect the vibrant wildlife consisting at least 11 bird species along the mangrove forests, Kingfisher Pond and Sungei Tampines, the 68-year-old added.
“It’s so close to the river, and so close to the (mangrove) boardwalk, and you have construction noise and subsequently people living there,” he said.
Koh has been conducting wildlife tours for eight years and photographing wildlife for 20 years.
“It was once a park, but now you put a building there, with all the lights and activities... it will affect the wildlife.”
Agreeing, retiree Rick Szeto, 60, said that the construction of a BTO project will likely drive wildlife out of the construction perimeter as well as the surrounding forests and Kingfisher Pond.
“If you have a building, there will be piling, there will be noise pollution, and (the wildlife) will not stay there anymore,” he said. “After a few years, do you think they will come back again? They will not anymore.”
He added that photographers such as himself do not take close-up photos of certain birds by chance, but do so because they have built up a relationship with the animal through consistently visiting their habitats.
Such encounters have become fewer as more construction projects have popped up amid wildlife habitats islandwide, he noted.
Szeto, who has been taking photos of birds in the Pasir Ris Park area for about three years, said that he will cherish the photos he takes in the next few months before construction begins, in case some wildlife does not return.
“Maybe for some of the birds I am familiar with, I can take some pictures of them before they fly away, and it can be a memory for the bird photographers over here.”
Agreeing, Tan Chao Yuan, a legal counsel, said that it would be a waste should the upcoming construction work scare off the Sunda scops owl from its home at Kingfisher Pond.
“These owls are already actually quite used to people, so I think it’s hard to find another owl that will be as friendly,” said the 35-year-old, whose favourite photography spot is at the Kingfisher Pond.
“It will move somewhere else, and I hope it will be fine.”
Still, other photographers feel the situation is unfortunate but unavoidable.
“We should preserve this area rather than keep the housing (project) so close to the nature park, (but) we need houses to house our people,” said retiree Thomas Lee.
“So, we have to do it, there is no choice, it’s a small country,” said the 71-year-old, who has been taking photos at the site for about seven years.
Plans to reduce impact
In response to queries from TODAY, HDB said that new public housing development is progressively being introduced in Pasir Ris town to meet the strong demand for housing and enable younger families to live closer to their parents.
“Environmental studies were carried out for the site mentioned in the Facebook post, and the new BTO project is sensitively designed based on the findings to minimise the impact on the biodiversity of the park and mangrove.”
It added that it has engaged nature groups on the findings and incorporated their feedback into the development plans for the site.
In addition, a report of an environmental management and monitoring plan report and the key findings from the environmental impact study will be published in due course.
HDB also confirmed that although car park B will cease operations, the existing mangroves and the Kingfisher Pond will be retained, and will remain open to public throughout the construction works.
On a sign put up by HDB at car park B, it was stated that site preparation works were scheduled for the later part of 2023, and that Pasir Ris Park will still be accessible through existing connections along Pasir Ris Green and Sungei Tampines.
An environmental management plan has been drafted to minimise the impact to surrounding flora and fauna.
There will also be a “wooded corridor” up to 50m wide that will serve as a buffer between the construction site and the park and mangrove forest, HDB said.
Other measures will help to minimise the inconvenience to surrounding residents, such as a “management plan” to monitor noise in real time to minimise disturbance, as well as suitable hoardings with lighting for security. — TODAY
