Wildlife, forest and history by the reservoir

The Lower Peirce Reservoir Park (above) is home to many animals, such as snakes and wild boar.
The Lower Peirce Reservoir Park (above) is home to many animals, such as snakes and wild boar. ST FILE PHOTO

One of Mr Jonathan Tan's favourite nature sites is the Central Catchment Nature Reserve, the largest of the nature reserves in Singapore, covering more than 2,000ha of forest.

It houses the Lower Peirce Reservoir Park, where one can spot snakes, wild boar, flying dragons and, if lucky, the sub-species of the banded leaf monkey endemic to Singapore.

Officially opened in March 1912, it is Singapore's second reservoir. It was planned as an extension of the first reservoir, MacRitchie, to meet growing demand for water in Singapore.

Originally named the Kallang River Reservoir, it took on the name Peirce in 1922 in honour of the service of Mr Robert Peirce, municipal engineer of Singapore from 1901 to 1916.

It became known as Lower Peirce to distinguish it from a new upstream reservoir that was created in 1975.

The forest that lines Lower Peirce Reservoir's banks is considered a mature secondary rainforest and retains many rubber trees and oil palms.

In 1999, a 900m boardwalk, the Lower Peirce Trail, was opened for public use.

Following a policy change by the Urban Redevelopment Authority, the water intake tower and bridge at Lower Peirce Reservoir were gazetted for conservation in December 2009.

Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on November 08, 2015, with the headline Wildlife, forest and history by the reservoir. Subscribe