Plans for Sporting Events at Marina Bay

Mr Nicholas Fang asked the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources if there are plans for Marina Bay to be opened up for use for activities such as swimming and other water sports to facilitate the hosting of sporting events such as triathlons and open water swimming.

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: I thank the Member for his question. Since 2004, PUB has opened up nine of Singapore's reservoirs for recreational water activities, such as kayaking, canoeing, dragon-boating and fishing. Marina Reservoir, which encompasses the Marina Bay area, is one such reservoir. This has enabled the public to enjoy access to our water bodies and encouraged stronger community ownership in keeping our reservoirs clean. A prime consideration is public safety and health. Safety measures, such as life buoys, safety barriers and demarcation of water activity zones, have been implemented.

My Ministry and PUB recognise that Marina Reservoir is a choice venue for a wide range of water-based activities, given its iconic location at the heart of our city. Secondary contact water activities, such as kayaking and sailing, are already allowed in the Marina Reservoir, and in fact a number of sporting events have been hosted there since its commissioning in 2010, including the kayaking and rowing competitions of the 2010 Youth Olympic Games; the World Extreme Sailing Series and the F1 H20 powerboat race in 2011.

However, primary contact activities, such as wakeboarding, waterskiing and those cited by Mr Fang, are not yet permitted in the Marina Reservoir. We must bear in mind that the reservoir contains raw untreated water from an urban catchment. Marina Reservoir was only recently commissioned and it will take some years for its ecology and water quality to transit towards a stable state. Consequently, it would be prudent to not open the reservoir for primary contact activities prematurely.

PUB has an on-going programme to improve the quality of the water in the Marina Reservoir. This includes the rehabilitation of old sewers and surveillance of industrial and commercial activities in the catchment to minimise contamination of surface runoff collected in the reservoir. In the meantime, I would urge members of the public to continue to play your part in keeping our drains, waterways and water bodies clear of litter and pollutants. For it is only through our collective effort that we can have pristine reservoirs open to everyone.

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