MacRitchie Reservoir
Encyclopedia
MacRitchie Reservoir is Singapore
's oldest reservoir. The reservoir was completed in 1868 by impounding water from an earth embankment, and was then known as the Impounding Reservoir or Thomson Reservoir.
was established.
Between 1820 and 1870, a substantial portion of the virgin forest was cleared to assist Singapore in becoming an important trading post
. Prior to this, Chinese planters had also worked the forested land for timber and the cultivation of crops like gambier
, pepper
and rubber. By 1886, only 10% of the original forest cover remained.
In 1823, British Resident John Crawfurd
proposed the building of a reservoir and waterworks
, setting aside $1,000 for these plans but nothing came of them. Another plan that ended up in smoke was the idea to tap the headwaters of Singapore Creek.
Finally, in 1857, Straits Chinese
merchant
Tan Kim Seng
donated $13,000 for the improvement of the town's waterworks but delays, poor planning and use of the wrong building materials ate into the budget. New plans were drawn up for an impounding reservoir in Thomson. Tan's money was insufficient – the cost of the new reservoir was $100,000 – but colonial
headquarters in Calcutta refused to make up the rest of the cost. When Tan died in 1864, the reservoir was no nearer completion.
Construction was eventually completed in 1868 but the pumps and distributing network were not finished until 1877. By this time, public confidence in the government's ability was dented.
In 1882, in a move to salvage its reputation, the Municipal Council erected a fountain in Fullerton Square in honour of Tan Kim Seng. The fountain was later to moved to Queen Elizabeth Walk
, where it stands today.
In 1891, the holding capacity of the Impounding Reservoir or Thomson Reservoir, after its designer John Turnbull Thomson
, was expanded to over 465 million impgals (2,113,931.9 m³). Municipal Engineer James MacRitchie oversaw this $32,000 expansion and the reservoir was named after him in 1922. In the 1890s, he had urged the government to buy the Chasseriau Estate for use as a reservoir but it was not until much later that the purchase was made.
However, the reservoir's 4 million impgals (18,184.4 m³) a day were still insufficient to meet demand. Water was pumped into the reservoir from the upper section of Kallang River
, one of the island's bigger sources of fresh water. Other fresh water supplies – Lower Peirce Reservoir
and Seletar Reservoir – were completed in 1912 and 1920 respectively. However, the government realised that Singapore would not be able to meet its own fresh water needs. In 1927, a water treaty was signed with the Sultan
of Johor
. Singapore received its first supply of water from Johor in 1932 but Singapore is now more independent.
The development of the MacRitchie Reservoir brought the forest devastation around the area to a halt. The forest surrounding the reservoir has been protected as a water catchment
reserve. The forested areas surrounding the other two reservoirs, Peirce Reservoir and Upper Seletar Reservoir
(formerly Seletar Reservoir) were also protected when these reservoirs were developed.
During World War II, the Japanese Imperial Army during the Japanese Occupation of Singapore built a Shinto Shrine, Syonan Jinja
,in the middle of the MacRitchie Reservoir forest in Singapore. When the British forces re-occupied Singapore, the Shrine was destroyed. However, ruins of the shrine remain and serve as a quaint piece of History accessible only to those willing to look for it, given its obscure location. The National Heritage Board declared the site a Historic Site in 2002, although no plans have been made public to develop or to protect the site.
today, particularly around MacRitchie Reservoir. Rubber
trees, remnants of the plantations from the 19th century, can still be seen along the fringes around the reservoir.
There are boardwalk
s skirting the edge of the scenic MacRitchie Reservoir and walking trails through the forest. They range in distances from 3 km to 11 km. Interpretative signboards along the boardwalks allow for a self-guided tour along the fringes of the MacRitchie forest.
The boardwalk around the perimeter of the MacRitchie Reservoir brings the visitor through interesting secondary forest
in the Central Catchment nature area. The boardwalk which hugs the reservoir also allows for easy exploration of freshwater wildlife. The Ant plant (Macaranga
bancana.) and pitcher plants are common in the area.
In addition to the boardwalk, another popular attraction is the HSBC
TreeTop Walk, a 250 m aerial free standing suspension bridge
spanning Bukit Peirce and Bukit Kalang which are the two highest points in MacRitchie. The bridge was completed in July 2004, and the TreeTop Walk was officially launched on 5 November 2004. The structure, which is 25 m at its highest point, offers visitors a panoramic view of Upper Peirce Reservoir
and the surrounding lush rainforest. Jelutong
Tower also offers a view of the Singapore Island Country Club golf course and the MacRitchie Reservoir.
The 3.2 km and 4.8 km trails are still used as cross-country running routes for various inter-school competitions today.
Schools can be seen using the reservoir as a place for water sports such as canoeing and kayaking. There are certain competitions held there annually. A new amenities hub has been recently constructed following the opening of a multi storey car park. This is part of the renewal programme.
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
's oldest reservoir. The reservoir was completed in 1868 by impounding water from an earth embankment, and was then known as the Impounding Reservoir or Thomson Reservoir.
History
Before the early 19th century, most of the Singapore main island was covered by primary forest. Soon after the British established a settlement in Singapore in 1819 and commercial activity took root, there was a demand for fresh water. However, it was decades before the settlement's first fresh water supplyWater supply
Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavours or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes...
was established.
Between 1820 and 1870, a substantial portion of the virgin forest was cleared to assist Singapore in becoming an important trading post
Trading post
A trading post was a place or establishment in historic Northern America where the trading of goods took place. The preferred travel route to a trading post or between trading posts, was known as a trade route....
. Prior to this, Chinese planters had also worked the forested land for timber and the cultivation of crops like gambier
Uncaria
Uncaria is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. It has about 40 species. Their distribution is pantropical, with most species native to tropical Asia, three from Africa and the Mediterranean and two from the neotropics. They are known colloquially as Gambier, Cat's Claw or Uña de...
, pepper
Black pepper
Black pepper is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit, known as a peppercorn when dried, is approximately in diameter, dark red when fully mature, and, like all drupes, contains a single seed...
and rubber. By 1886, only 10% of the original forest cover remained.
In 1823, British Resident John Crawfurd
John Crawfurd
John Crawfurd , Scottish physician, and colonial administrator and author, was born in the island of Islay, Scotland...
proposed the building of a reservoir and waterworks
WaterWorks
WaterWorks is a water park owned by Cedar Fair, located at the back of Kings Dominion in Doswell, Virginia. When it debuted in 1992, it was originally named Hurricane Reef...
, setting aside $1,000 for these plans but nothing came of them. Another plan that ended up in smoke was the idea to tap the headwaters of Singapore Creek.
Finally, in 1857, Straits Chinese
Peranakan
Peranakan Chinese and Baba-Nyonya are terms used for the descendants of late 15th and 16th-century Chinese immigrants to the Indonesian archipelago of Nusantara during the Colonial era....
merchant
Merchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
Tan Kim Seng
Tan Kim Seng
Tan Kim Seng was a Straits Chinese merchant and public benefactor in Singapore in the nineteenth century.-Biography:Born in Malacca in 1805, Tan came to Singapore where he made a fortune as a trader. Tan started his firm, Kim Seng and Company, in 1840 and amassed a large fortune in his lifetime...
donated $13,000 for the improvement of the town's waterworks but delays, poor planning and use of the wrong building materials ate into the budget. New plans were drawn up for an impounding reservoir in Thomson. Tan's money was insufficient – the cost of the new reservoir was $100,000 – but colonial
Colonialism
Colonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by...
headquarters in Calcutta refused to make up the rest of the cost. When Tan died in 1864, the reservoir was no nearer completion.
Construction was eventually completed in 1868 but the pumps and distributing network were not finished until 1877. By this time, public confidence in the government's ability was dented.
In 1882, in a move to salvage its reputation, the Municipal Council erected a fountain in Fullerton Square in honour of Tan Kim Seng. The fountain was later to moved to Queen Elizabeth Walk
Queen Elizabeth Walk
The Queen Elizabeth Walk is a promenade located along the Esplanade and bordering the Esplanade Park within the Downtown Core of Central Area in Singapore's central business district.-History:...
, where it stands today.
In 1891, the holding capacity of the Impounding Reservoir or Thomson Reservoir, after its designer John Turnbull Thomson
John Turnbull Thomson
John Turnbull Thomson was a British civil engineer and artist who played an instrumental role in the development of the early infrastructure of nineteenth century Singapore and New Zealand. -Biography:...
, was expanded to over 465 million impgals (2,113,931.9 m³). Municipal Engineer James MacRitchie oversaw this $32,000 expansion and the reservoir was named after him in 1922. In the 1890s, he had urged the government to buy the Chasseriau Estate for use as a reservoir but it was not until much later that the purchase was made.
However, the reservoir's 4 million impgals (18,184.4 m³) a day were still insufficient to meet demand. Water was pumped into the reservoir from the upper section of Kallang River
Kallang River
The Kallang River flows for 10 kilometres from the Lower Peirce Reservoir to the coast at Nicoll Highway, making it the longest river in Singapore...
, one of the island's bigger sources of fresh water. Other fresh water supplies – Lower Peirce Reservoir
Lower Peirce Reservoir
The Lower Peirce Reservoir is one of the oldest reservoirs in Singapore. It is located near the MacRitchie Reservoir and the Upper Peirce Reservoir. It was originally created as the Peirce Reservoir but was designated as lower upon the creation of the Upper Peirce Reservoir. It is 6 hectares in...
and Seletar Reservoir – were completed in 1912 and 1920 respectively. However, the government realised that Singapore would not be able to meet its own fresh water needs. In 1927, a water treaty was signed with the Sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
of Johor
Johor
Johor is a Malaysian state, located in the southern portion of Peninsular Malaysia. It is one of the most developed states in Malaysia. The state capital city and royal city of Johor is Johor Bahru, formerly known as Tanjung Puteri...
. Singapore received its first supply of water from Johor in 1932 but Singapore is now more independent.
The development of the MacRitchie Reservoir brought the forest devastation around the area to a halt. The forest surrounding the reservoir has been protected as a water catchment
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
reserve. The forested areas surrounding the other two reservoirs, Peirce Reservoir and Upper Seletar Reservoir
Upper Seletar Reservoir
Upper Seletar Reservoir is Singapore's third impounding reservoir, after MacRitchie Reservoir and Peirce Reservoir...
(formerly Seletar Reservoir) were also protected when these reservoirs were developed.
During World War II, the Japanese Imperial Army during the Japanese Occupation of Singapore built a Shinto Shrine, Syonan Jinja
Syonan Jinja
Syonan Jinja was a former Shinto shrine in the middle of the MacRitchie Reservoir forest in Singapore. It was built by the Japanese Imperial Army during the Japanese Occupation of Singapore in World War II. When the British forces re-occupied Singapore, the Shrine was destroyed...
,in the middle of the MacRitchie Reservoir forest in Singapore. When the British forces re-occupied Singapore, the Shrine was destroyed. However, ruins of the shrine remain and serve as a quaint piece of History accessible only to those willing to look for it, given its obscure location. The National Heritage Board declared the site a Historic Site in 2002, although no plans have been made public to develop or to protect the site.
Present
More than one square kilometre of primary forest still flourishes in the Central Catchment Nature ReserveCentral Catchment Nature Reserve
The Central Catchment Nature Reserve is the largest nature reserve in Singapore, occupying 2889 hectares Forming a large green lung in the geographical centre of the city, it houses several recreational sites, including the Singapore Zoo and the Night Safari, as well as several newer facilities...
today, particularly around MacRitchie Reservoir. Rubber
Rubber
Natural rubber, also called India rubber or caoutchouc, is an elastomer that was originally derived from latex, a milky colloid produced by some plants. The plants would be ‘tapped’, that is, an incision made into the bark of the tree and the sticky, milk colored latex sap collected and refined...
trees, remnants of the plantations from the 19th century, can still be seen along the fringes around the reservoir.
There are boardwalk
Boardwalk
A boardwalk, in the conventional sense, is a wooden walkway for pedestrians and sometimes vehicles, often found along beaches, but they are also common as paths through wetlands, coastal dunes, and other sensitive environments....
s skirting the edge of the scenic MacRitchie Reservoir and walking trails through the forest. They range in distances from 3 km to 11 km. Interpretative signboards along the boardwalks allow for a self-guided tour along the fringes of the MacRitchie forest.
The boardwalk around the perimeter of the MacRitchie Reservoir brings the visitor through interesting secondary forest
Secondary forest
A secondary forest is a forest or woodland area which has re-grown after a major disturbance such as fire, insect infestation, timber harvest or windthrow, until a long enough period has passed so that the effects of the disturbance are no longer evident...
in the Central Catchment nature area. The boardwalk which hugs the reservoir also allows for easy exploration of freshwater wildlife. The Ant plant (Macaranga
Macaranga
Macaranga is a large genus of Old World tropical trees of the family Euphorbiaceae and the only genus in the subtribe Macaranginae. Native to Africa, Australasia, Asia and the South Pacific, the genus comprises over 300 different species. These plants are noted for being recolonizers...
bancana.) and pitcher plants are common in the area.
In addition to the boardwalk, another popular attraction is the HSBC
HSBC
HSBC Holdings plc is a global banking and financial services company headquartered in Canary Wharf, London, United Kingdom. it is the world's second-largest banking and financial services group and second-largest public company according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine...
TreeTop Walk, a 250 m aerial free standing suspension bridge
Suspension bridge
A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck is hung below suspension cables on vertical suspenders. Outside Tibet and Bhutan, where the first examples of this type of bridge were built in the 15th century, this type of bridge dates from the early 19th century...
spanning Bukit Peirce and Bukit Kalang which are the two highest points in MacRitchie. The bridge was completed in July 2004, and the TreeTop Walk was officially launched on 5 November 2004. The structure, which is 25 m at its highest point, offers visitors a panoramic view of Upper Peirce Reservoir
Upper Peirce Reservoir
Upper Peirce Reservoir is Singapore's second reservoir. The 6-hectare Upper Peirce Reservoir Park overlooks the Upper Peirce Reservoir.-History:...
and the surrounding lush rainforest. Jelutong
Jelutong
Jelutong may refer to:* Bukit Jelutong, a suburb in Selangor, Malaysia* Jelutong , a type of tropical tree* Jelutong, Penang...
Tower also offers a view of the Singapore Island Country Club golf course and the MacRitchie Reservoir.
The 3.2 km and 4.8 km trails are still used as cross-country running routes for various inter-school competitions today.
Schools can be seen using the reservoir as a place for water sports such as canoeing and kayaking. There are certain competitions held there annually. A new amenities hub has been recently constructed following the opening of a multi storey car park. This is part of the renewal programme.