Yishun Dam shoreline cleared of rubbish and plastic waste after 4-day cleanup

Rubbish and plastic waste along Yishun Dam on April 14, 2020. ST PHOTO: DESMOND FOO

SINGAPORE - The shoreline along Yishun Dam, where unsightly rubbish and plastic waste were seen, has now been cleaned up by the relevant agencies, said the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).

The MPA, which has been working with the National Environment Agency (NEA) and the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) to ensure that the shoreline is regularly cleaned, confirmed that a four-day cleanup had taken place and was completed last Tuesday (April 21).

Mr Chia Wee Teck, 52, an IT manager who regularly jogs at the dam two to three times a week, alerted The Straits Times when he saw copious amounts of litter and plastic waste built up along the shoreline over the course of April.

"When the water is stagnant, the litter floats in the middle of the sea, so the pollution is all the more apparent. But during high tide, the litter gets pushed to the sides of the rocks," he said.

On his last visit last Thursday, he was relieved to see that the litter had been cleared.

The MPA said that an appointed contractor is regularly engaged to remove garbage and flotsam from the sea, as these may be washed towards the shoreline due to the currents, winds and tides, resulting in an increase in flotsam.

This would require a regular cleaning of the shoreline.

A one-time cleanup was completed in January this year and agencies are looking into starting a regular cleaning regime from the second half of this year, which involves retrieving flotsam and debris along common channels, fairways, and anchorages.

There was visibly less litter on the shoreline along Yishun Dam on April 23, 2020. ST PHOTO: JOEL CHAN

"Depending on the situation, the cleaning can be a one-time clean up or on a regular basis.

"Agencies are working together to provide the cleaning of the shoreline along Yishun Dam as needed." said MPA.

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