I went to the Mediacorp Guided Walk, organised by PUB and Mediacorp, expecting to cover the more concrete areas of the reservoir.

What I didn’t know was that the guided walk consisted of a 45 minute trek in a nature trail. None of us were dressed for trekking and it had just rained the night before so I have to admit, we weren’t all that excited when we found out about that part of the walk.

I wondered what exactly the plants had to do with the water in MacRitchie so at the end of the session, I decided to ask the guide.

She brought up a very interesting point on how the forest is not there just because it is visually pleasing. It also contributes to the water cycle in the form of evaportranspiration, defined as the loss of water to the atmosphere from the earth’s surface by evaporation and by transpiration through plants by the US Geological Survey Washington Water Science Centre . The evaporation of water from plant leaves also add to the moisture level in the atmosphere. This is important as the forest itself acts as a natural water catchment, where four reservoirs are located.

So remember, we have to do more than stop wasting water to reduce water shortages! We also have to protect nature which does its part to help ensure sufficient storage of water. The forest is vital for our survival.

Posted by Rachel Chan Ruiyu, School of Film & Media Studies, Ngee Ann Polytechnic