Oct 10, 2015
On Saturday, we had our second excursion to Marina Barrage. It is a government-commissioned dam built across the mouth of Marina Channel and it’s separates the water in Marina Basin from the seawater. The barrage is dubbed a three in one project as it serves three objectives: 1) Create a new source of water supply, 2) Act as a tool for flood control, 3) Provide a new life style attraction. The guide that brought us walked around Marina Barrage tell us little bit about how does Marina Barrage works, under normal conditions, the hydraulically-operated gates will be closed. When there is heavy rain but the tide is low, the gates will open to release excess water into the sea. When heavy rain coincides with high tide, the gates will remain closed while the pumps will be activated to pump the excess water out to sea.With this system, the barrage alleviates flooding in low-lying areas in the city, including Chinatown, Jalan Besar and Geylang. It also keeps the reservoir’s water level constant, thereby making it suitable for water-based activities such as sailing, windsurfing, canoeing and dragonboating. Visitors that come to the barrage can take a scenic walk on Marina Bridge, a pedestrian bridge that sits atop the nine crest gates and connects Marina South to Marina East. At the Marina South end of the bridge is the Visitor Centre, which has been designed to look like a seashell from the top. So, I think it’s important to have such kind of barrage at least 1 or more barrage for each country to keep and control the water volume, to prevent the flood and also to produce mineral water that can be consume by all of residents in that country.
