Visit to MacRitchie Reservoir

Visit to MacRitchie Reservoir

MacRitchie Reservoir was the first reservoir built in Singapore, and is the oldest reservoir. The reservoir was completed in 1867 and has remained since. The reservoir has also undergone several renovations. The reservoir has several amenities, including a Fishing area, kayak lanes, etc.

Our class chose to visit the reservoir on the morning of 9 May, when it would be less sunny, and we would thus be more likely to see more animals. Upon reaching the reservoir, we began looking for the first checkpoint (Out of five on our list) --- A tree stump. Unfortunately, we read the map wrongly, and walked in circles for the first five minutes or so. Luckily, we found the tree stump soon, on top of a small hill, where there was some ongoing construction. The tree stump was next to a healthy adult tree- the tree stump was formed when lightning struck that part of the tree, while the rest of the tree survived. The stump had began to rot, and was a home to several organisms. We saw many plants including epiphytes and ferns. We also noted that there was a colony of ants living there, as well as several spiders. There were also several Tembusu trees growing around this part of the reservoir (The tembusu tree is pictured on the back of the Singaporean Five Dollar Note).

The next checkpoint on our list was the reservoir where the rainwater was collected. We noted the water quality - The water quality can be gauged through certain measurable criteria - The amount of debris in the water, the color of the water, the turbidity of the water (How murky the water is), the temperature of the water, the dissolved oxygen, and the pH level of the water.

Although the water of the reservoir was slightly murky, that was due to the tannin which is a brownish pigment from dissolved leaves. Since it was a nature reserve, rotting or decomposing leaves would be left alone so as not to disrupt nature in progress.

Heading onwards, we reached the kayak lanes, where several university students were carrying out kayaks for their training. They had set up several kayak lanes with buoys. Several people were also jogging, while some people were heading into the forest for nature walks. Also, we reached a fishing zone along the jogging path where no one was fishing yet. At the water’s edge, we could see some small fishes, red Dragonflies, and some Blue Damselflies. We then headed into the forest.

The forest was filled with different kind of plants and animals. However, since the gravel made a loud and obvious grating noise, most animals had long darted away before we reached them. We saw several types of plants, including rattan plants, which had long hard spikes to deter herbivores which might feed on it. We also saw a plant which bore large berries (The berries would turn red when ripe to attract animals to eat it.) However, since the fruit was meant to be safe to eat, I broke the fruit into two and licked the inner layer. However, the fruit was quite tasteless (being not fully developed).

Having finished most of the trip, we headed back to the amenities centre where we had a rest and a snack.

This trip was an interesting learning experience for me as I could see how what we learnt in class connected with nature. For example, the Turbidity in the water would change over the course of the day - The water would become murkier in the afternoon - as more tannin would be dissolved in the water. We could also see the human impact on the reservoir and nature - for example, the Kayakers would disturb the fish in the water, but also helps introduce oxygen into the water. Another example would be fishing - By fishing, people would decrease the number of fishes in the water, and fishes act as a natural control for mosquito larva - so the mosquito population might increase as an effect. However, on the other hand, there is only a limited zone for fishing, so the fishermen help to keep the predator population down.