ALARMED BY POPULATION FIGURES

Housing Board chief executive Cheong Koon Hean, in her IPS-Nathan lecture on April 10 entitled "Anticipating Our Urban Future - Trends, Threats And Transformation", said that Singapore's population density would increase from 11,000 people per sq kmto 13,700 people per sq km between now and 2030.

This is alarming. As Singapore's land area is a mere 720 sq km, does this mean that our population size could go up to 9,864,000, or nearly 10 million, by 2030?

This figure is not the same as that projected in the Population White Paper of 2013 - 6.9 million by 2030.

I hope the authorities can explain this new figure on population density, and assure Singaporeans that everything is being planned to prepare for such an eventuality.

Cheang Peng Wah

LEARNING FROM STADIUM INCIDENT

I applaud ActiveSG chief Lai Chin Kwang for taking responsibility and responding swiftly to the stadium lights being turned off early during the Under-19 football match at Yishun Stadium on April 10 (SportSG sorry for turning off stadium's lights during game; April 17).

The incident is an opportunity to improve our processes, promote social harmony and counter the negative effects of online fake news, especially when a community leader who strongly supports sports development in Singapore like MP Lee Bee Wah is involved.

Stadiums serve a common good. Many residents use them to exercise and to bond with their neighbours, colleagues and school mates.

But, where do we compromise, when we compare how nearby residents are affected by excessive noise levels and lights from stadiums on a daily basis with the convenience of having such facilities located within walking distance from our housing blocks? Is there something we can re-evaluate in our urban planning guidelines?

There are no easy answers but we should strive to find the right balance and fine-tune our processes in order to make residents' lives easier.

Edward Tay Wee Meng