I have always had a soft touch for geography. It always excites me when I learn about how nature is working in our lives, whether if it is the changing of the environment we are in, or playing a part with the conservation of our natural resources.

The trip down to Lower Seletar Reservoir has shown me something that I would never see in my geography textbook – a first hand experience and an exposure to nature’s work.

When my friend and I first arrived at Lower Seletar Reservoir, neither of us had a single clue what the rain garden was nor what it looked like. When the student volunteer revealed to us the rather plain looking and small garden, I was quite disappointed. But little did I know what amazing things the garden could do to help with the conservation of water.

I learnt that the rain garden had 3 roles in its placement in the reservoir. First, it was used as a filter for the rainwater and any other water from the road. The garden has many layers of soil and each layer plays a different role with the filtration. The filtrated water is then channeled into a small pool out in the front of the bay and used for recreation purposes. That is the second role of the rain garden. The pool can be used by the little children for playing. The last role of the rain garden was for decorative purposes. The reservoir being so big needs more greenery and plants for decoration. Also, if it rains heavily, the rain garden would then be transformed into a pond.

Plants were specially picked for the rain garden. The plants have to have wet feet and must be able to breathe in the water.

Just a trip down to Lower Seletar Reservoir has not only expanded my horizon, and also deepened my love for geography.

Posted by Jolene Hee, School of Film & Media Studies, Ngee Ann Polytechnic