Singapore turns garbage island into ecotourism attraction

Singapore turns garbage island into ecotourism attraction

Keith Lin, Agence France-Presse/Singapore

A great-billed heron flaps its majestic wings as it settles on
top of a concrete embankment, oblivious to the constant drone of
bulldozers shoving muddy ash into a dump site.

Colorful starfish and gritty crabs adorn the beach while coral
reefs thrive close to the shore, from where tankers and other
ships can be seen plying one of the world's busiest waterways.

Welcome to Semakau, which the Singapore government believes to
be the world's first island made almost entirely from trash.

But instead of the stench of rubbish, it is the salty tang of
the sea that greets visitors to this unique eco-tourism
attraction in the Strait of Singapore.

A nature haven has blossomed in this unlikely location barely
a 20-minute ferry ride from the mainland of the land-scarce city-
state, whose economic success and rapid modernization generates a
massive amount of waste daily.

Flora and fauna abound

The 350-hectare offshore landfill, comprising two natural
islets connected by a rock embankment, can hold 63 million cubic
meters of rubbish, enough to accommodate Singapore's landfill
needs until 2045.

Towed by giant barges, more than 2,000 tons of waste,
including construction debris and ash from incineration plants,
are dumped onto the island every day.

But thanks to the work of scientists, planners, engineers and
environmentalists, a rich variety of flora and fauna is surviving
on the island, including 55 species of birds like the endangered
great-billed heron.

Recent private surveys on Semakau's relatively unexplored
marine life have also yielded exciting discoveries including a
vast meadow of rare tape seagrass, giant barramundi cod and even
reported sightings of black-tipped sharks.

"Semakau's marine life is amazingly rich... some parts of it
are so rare that it can no longer be found elsewhere in
Singapore," Ria Tan, who owns a popular nature website, Wild
Singapore, said.

Worries of animals feeding on the refuse are unfounded, as
more than 80 percent of the waste consists of inorganic matter,
and is unlikely to attract any preying animals, according to the
landfill's general manager, Ong Chong Peng.

"We had this concept to build a pretty unique landfill, yet at
the same time ensure that the eco-system remains preserved and
protected," Ong told AFP during a visit to the island.

To ensure that the surrounding areas stay pollution-free, Ong
and his team of 100 staff employ compactors and bulldozers to
level the waste after it is dumped into landfill cells lined with
a thick plastic membrane. The cells are then topped off with
fertile soil.

Two mangrove plantations were also replanted next to the
landfills, serving as biological indicators should there be any
leaks of harmful waste into the sea, Ong said.

"The basic premise of our operations was creating an island
from the sea, by dumping waste," said the landfill's operations
manager, Loo Eng Por, who has been working on the island since it
began operations in 1999.

Garbage goes green

The idea of having a tourist attraction made from garbage was
mooted last year by Minister of Environment and Water Resources
Yacoob Ibrahim, who sees Semakau as an example of how refuse and
conservation can co-exist.

"This is a way for Singapore to show the world that as a
nation this is a very responsible way to manage our waste and
manage our environment and it may not be a lose-lose situation,"
Ibrahim said when he opened the island for recreational
activities in July.

Safety and security concerns mean that Semakau, which cost 610
million Singapore dollars (US$370 million) to build, is currently
accessible only by members of three nature groups. Authorities
are exploring the possibility of further opening up the island.

Website owner Tan, who is also an associate member of one such
group engaging in biodiversity research, organizes hour-long
nature tours of the island's extensive seagrass clusters and
wildlife-teeming mangroves.

"We try to keep (the walks) short, sweet and pleasant ...
You'll never know whether urbanites like Singaporeans will enjoy
them or not, but I'm pretty sure nature lovers will," she said
confidently.

But Ho Hua Chew, an avid bird-watcher with another interest
group permitted to travel to the island, sounded a word of
caution.

"The bigger the landfill, the lesser the indigenous animals
and intertidal marine life ... we mustn't extend the idea that
landfills are good for biodiversity," Ho said between hopeful
peeks through his binoculars.

For Ong, the landfill manager, the prospect of creating
entirely from refuse an island about the size of Sentosa, the
nearby resort island where a major casino complex is to be built,
is too enticing to ignore.

"Who knows? We might even have golf courses here in the
future. It's possible," he chuckled.

str/it

Singapore-environment-garbage-tourism
AFP

GetAFP 2.10 -- AUG 28, 2005 11:10:18