On this special day we joined some 76 participants at the “Semakau Landfill” who were coming for a walk “between the tides” that would occur between 5 to 7 pm. This afternoon we were guiding for RH who arranges the inter-tidal walks. On arrival at the Landfill, half the group went for a presentation on the story of Semakau Landfill, a solution to manage Singapore’s solid waste taking into account of our limited land space. The other half were taken on the buses for the landfill tour.
At around 5 pm we were ready for the walk and the bus took us to the entrance of the forest trail to the mudflat. Exiting the trail the view of the exposed mudflat, sea grass lagoon and reef beckoned. Everyone initially was looking down as they carefully stepped on the mud, but soon the movements of little marine creatures caught their attention and their interest was aroused, muddy shoes forgotten.
The many marine creatures exposed during low tide, kept the visitors busy snapping photographs or taking a closer look at the wonders of nature. All too soon as the sun set, and the huge complex of Pulau Bukom became illuminated, we were once again reminded how close the marine life is to human’s industrial activities. The presentation on The Semakau Landfill Story in conjunction with the inter-tidal walk, remind us of our impact on the environment and ways to protect it.
