A slight shower on Sunday morning had just ended and the weather was perfect for a day out. I headed down to the Marina  Barrage for the Singapore International Water Festival. Before I could enter, there were already streams of people walking out and I overheard a teenage boy saying in Singlish, “Nothing much, what, this place!” I thought this was going to be a huge mistake until I entered and saw the Marina Barrage bustling with so many activities.

Loud music was blaring through giant-sized speakers as I explored Marina Barrage. The boy who made the remark on his way out obviously had not visited the Sustainable Singapore Gallery on the second floor, which completely changed my perception of water and its importance, particularly here in Singapore.

There were more old photographs as I walked through the gallery. One photo that is still in my head is the picture of a salon being flooded. What made it peculiar was that the people in the picture were unfazed, as if frequent floods were expected then. We certainly have come a long way. And today when the Orchard Road area is flooded once in a blue moon, it is treated as completely unacceptable. Honestly, we should be thankful that this does not happen every day thanks to PUB’s efforts in water management.

Nothing much? Well, think again.

Posted by Sharina Nair, School of Film & Media Studies, Ngee Ann Polytechnic

This being my first time visiting the Marina Barrage, I felt lost at first but the gallery took me to a whole new place where I saw Singapore in her younger years and how water in Singapore has ‘matured’ since. The feeling was indescribable as I saw black and white pictures of the Singapore River years ago. Today, the Singapore River looks very tempting to dive into, especially in this blistering heat. To think that it was once a place where sewer waste was dumped into… Care for a dive anybody?

Singapore River, then

Singapore River, now