Pulau Semakau 2034956 202438623 2008-04-01T01:06:41Z Dave1185 6536358 /* Relocations */ amended {{coor title dms|1|12|22|N|103|45|43|E}} "''Pulau Sakeng''", "''Pulau Seking''" & "''Pulau Sakeng Police Post''" redirects here. {{SG neighbourhood | imagemap= | englishname=Pulau Semakau | chinesename=士马高岛 | pinyin=Shìmǎgāodǎo | malayname=Pulau Semakau | tamilname=''fill in'' }} [[Image:Pulau_semakau_landfill.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Location of Pulau Semakau Landfill and neighbouring islands.]] '''Pulau Semakau''' is located to the south of the [[main island of Singapore]], off the [[Straits of Singapore]]. The current island was formed by the amalgamation of the then much smaller Pulau Semakau and [[Pulau Sakeng]] (also known as Pulau Seking). Pulau Semakau is [[Singapore]]'s first offshore [[landfill]] and now the only remaining landfill in Singapore<ref>{{cite web| url=http://app.nea.gov.sg/cms/htdocs/article.asp?pid=2562 |title =Semakau landfill opens for nature-based activities |publisher =Singapore National Environmental Agency, Retrieved on 10 October 2007.}}</ref>. ==History and Pulau Sakeng== Pulau Semakau was home to a small fishing village, as was the nearby island of [[Pulau Sakeng]] ([[Chinese_language|Chinese]]: 锡京岛) which was also known as Pulau Seking. Houses built on both islands were perched on stilts as most of the villagers were subsistence fishermen, making a living off the nearby [[coral]] [[reefs]]. Both island have a few of their own provision shops but the community centre<ref>{{cite web| url=http://stars.nhb.gov.sg/stars/public/viewPDF.jsp?pdfno=PressR19691026b.pdf |title =Singapore Ministry of Social Affairs Press Release 1969|publisher =National Archive of Singapore}}</ref> was located on Pulau Semakau while the [[Singapore Police Force#Police Coast Guard|Pulau Sakeng Police Post]] (manned by a [[Police Coast Guard|Marine Police]] officer of the [[Singapore Police Force]]) was situated on Pulau Sakeng. ==Resettlement== In 1987, the Singapore government, after having acquired the land on both islands from the islanders, set about relocating the islanders to the mainland where they were resettled in the [[Bukit Merah]] and [[Telok Blangah]] housing estate areas by [[HDB]]. One of the oldest residents continued to live on the Pulau Sakeng despite his family having been resettled but he eventually moved out as well in 1991, as the island's jetty fell into a sorry state of disrepair. After which, the Singapore SPCA was tasked to round up the few cats that were left behind after his departure. Subsequently, Pulau Sakeng was subsumed by the land reclamation process of Pulau Semakau and the present day '''Semakau landfill receiving station''' was built directly on top of Pulau Sakeng after that process. ==Semakau landfill== [[Image:Pulau Semakau 32, Nov 06.JPG|thumb|250px|right|Semakau landfill receiving station]] The Semakau Landfill is Singapore's only landfill situated offshore among the southern islands of Singapore. It covers a total area of 3.5 square [[kilometre]]s and has a capacity of 63 million m³. To create the required landfill space, a 7 km perimeter rock [[bund]] was built to enclose a part of the sea off between Pulau Semakau and [[Pulau Sakeng]]. It is currently estimated that the landfill, which began operations on 1 Apr 1999, will last till 2040. The [[Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (Singapore)|Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources]], along with the [[National Environment Agency]] which manages the landfill, hopes this deadline will be extended through various waste minimisation and resource conservation initiatives. Semakau Landfill is filled mainly with [[incineration#Solid outputs|ash]] produced by Singapore's four [[incineration plant]]s, which incinerate the country's waste, shipped there in a covered [[barge]] (to prevent the ash from get blown into the air) every night. Contrary to popular belief that Semakau Landfill would be another dirty and smelly landfill, the care put into the design and operational work at the landfill have ensured that the site is clean, free of smell and scenic. During construction, [[silt]] screens were installed to ensure that the [[coral]]s were not affected during the [[reclamation]] works. The landfill is lined with an impermeable membrane, and [[clay]] and any leachate produced is processed at a leachate treatment plant. Regular water testing is carried out to ensure the integrity of the impermeable liners. [[Image:Pulau Semakau, panorama 3, Nov 06.jpg|thumb|600px|center|Panoramic view of Phase 2 wet cell of the [[Semakau Landfill]] from the western [[Rock (geology)|rock]] [[Bunding|bund]].]] ==Flora and fauna== The biodiversity of the (natural) island has been surveyed in an ad-hoc manner. The coral reefs around Pulau Semakau have been monitored since the late 1980s. A survey of the coastal and inter-tidal areas of the island in 2005 revealed four plants listed as endangered in Singapore [http://www.wildsingapore.com/projects/survey/semakau/results.html], including the Seashore Bat Lily (''Tacca leontopetaloides'') which so far has only been recorded in one area of Singapore: Pulau Semakau. Semakau also has vast stretches of Tape seagrass (''Enhalus acoroides'') which is considered rare and vulnerable in Singapore. Semakau is also the only known location in Singapore of the seagrass ''Syringodium isoetifolium''. The construction of the perimeter bund of the Landfill affected mangroves on the eastern side of the island. The developers replanted two plots of [[mangroves]] totaling 136,000 square metres, just outside the perimeter bund. The two plots are doing well, indicating that there has been no [[seepage]] through the liners. Another design feature is the built-in channels that allow the flow of seawater into non-active cells, keeping the water fresh at all times. Today, after years of operation, the replanted mangrove, and remaining natural habitats on the island are doing well. Even the closed cells, topped up with soil, are flourishing. Birds can be seen in the air and on the open landscape, fishes swim in and out of the [[lagoons]], and [[ocean|marine]] life continues to thrive in the mangrove [[mudflats]] and the western shorelines of Pulau Semakau. ==Recreational activities== [[Image:semakauscenery.jpg|thumb|Semakau landfill scenery]] The [[National Environment Agency]] on 16 July 2005 officially opened Semakau Landfill to the public for selected recreational activities. It was launched by the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, with 40 families of the former residents of Pulau Sakeng, one of the small islands from which Semakau Landfill was built, invited back to their former home as guests of the event. The residents had left over 10 years ago. The opinions of various interest groups and organisations such as [[Nature Society of Singapore]], Sport Fishing Association (Singapore) and [[Wild Singapore]] in using Semakau Landfill for recreational purposes were sought. Currently, members of the public who wish to visit the island are advised to contact the Nature Society, Sport Fishing Association, or the [http://rmbr.nus.edu.sg/workshop/ Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research] which conducts guided walks on the shores of Semakau for the public. All groups are led by a trained guide. This supervision is in place to protect the island's natural environment. Further, facilities have been put in place, such as strategically-located shelters lightning arresters and lifebuoys, as well as directional signage and clear markings of no-access areas to keep visitors away from the operation areas. Targeting interested groups in Singapore now have a unique recreational destination in the form of a huge open ash-filled landfill tucked away in the pristine waters of southern Singapore, coexisting with a mix of [[mangrove]], [[grassland]] and shoreline habitats. ==References== <references/> ==External links== {{commons|Pulau Semakau}} * de Châtel, Francesca. [http://edition.cnn.com/2007/TECH/07/26/ji.semakaulandfill/ 'The island paradise built on a garbage dump'], CNN, July 26, 2007 *[http://www.wildsingapore.com/places/semakau.htm Pulau Semakau on wildsingapore] - Web resources on Pulau Semakau. *[http://www.google.com/reader/shared/user/12355670525022093752/label/semakau Blog posts about Pulau Semakau] from various blogs compiled on the wildsingapore google reader *[http://www.flickr.com/photos/wildsingapore/sets/72157600000759388/ Photos of Pulau Semakau's marine life] from wildsingapore *[http://www.wildsingapore.com/projects/survey/semakau/about.htm Survey of Semakau mangroves, Jun 05] - Preliminary results for mangrove and intertidal flora and fauna. *[http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&z=14&ll=1.203258,103.764582&spn=0.030806,0.064201&t=k&om=1 Satellate image of Pulau Semakau] - [[Google Maps]] {{Islands of Singapore}} {{singapore-geo-stubs}} [[Category:Islands of Singapore|Semakau]] [[Category:Western Islands]] [[Category:Landfills]] [[zh:实马高岛]]