Plants on Ubin

Yet another informative extract from Edmund Waller (2001) "Landscape Planning in Singapore".

With regard to flora, the human interference on Pulau Ubin has led to semi-natural vegetation dominated by relatively few early successional species and 21% of alien species.

The Ubin flora represents about one eighth of the total flora recorded for Singapore and is made up largely of common weed, secondary forest and mangrove species.



In a recent survey (Turner, 1993), only one real rainforest tree was discovered. The author states that from a Singapore standpoint, the patches of belukar and mangrove are of value in a country with so little natural vegetation remaining.

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References:

Waller, Edmund (2001) "Landscape Planning in Singapore" (Singapore: Singapore University Press) pp.165-171

Turner, I.M. et al. (1993) "A Botanical Survey of PUlau Ubin" Department of Botany, National University of Singapore

Water Supply

An extract from Edmund Waller (2001) "Landscape Planning in Singapore".

Permanent streams are rather rare at Ubin, but a notable exception is the stream at Kampong Melayu that provides some of the water for the village and formerly for the many houses, now in ruins, which are situated near the banks of the stream. Streams have also been dammed up to provide a water supply for the Outward Bound School.

Other fresh water comes mainly from wells, of which the temple well in the centre of Pulau Ubin Village is a prominent example. Sometimes these wells are too close to the sea and suffer from salt water pollution, though some of the islanders swear that the well water is better than mainland tap water.

Port of Singapore Authority (PSA) water tankers can supplement the fresh water supplies in an emergency, but the existence of a deep marine trench has made it uneconomic to bring a pipeline over from the mainland. The same applies to the supply of electricity.

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References:

Waller, Edmund (2001) "Landscape Planning in Singapore" (Singapore: Singapore University Press) pp.165-171

Quarry Lakes

Yet another tidbit from Edmund Waller's (2001) "Landscape Planning in Singapore".


Picture 1: Abandoned quarry lakes (Source: Carolyn Chiam, June 2004)

"There are recently abandoned quarries that are gradually filling up with water (Picture 1). Each year, the water level rises and at the former HDB quarry near the Buddhist retreat - The Thai Temple - (sometimes called the Great Pool of Pulau Ubin) [editor's note: also known as Tian Ci], the water has now reached the brim and overflows into the sea (Picture 2). The other abandoned quarries, with smaller catchment areas, are filling slowly and the final water levels can be expected to fluctuate around the top of the underground water table level which will be close to the surface near the sea, but deeper on the hill tops."


Picture 2: Water levels at Tian Ci maxed out (Source: Ubin Stories Gallery, 9 Oct 2004)

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References:

Waller, Edmund (2001) "Landscape Planning in Singapore" (Singapore: Singapore University Press) pp.165-171

Beaches and Mangroves

A continuation on the natural environment of Pulau Ubin from Edmund Waller's (2001) "Landscape Planning in Singapore".


Picture 1: Muddy banks of an estuary on Ubin (Source: Ubin Stories Gallery, 5 Sept 2004)

"... the beaches are either muddy or sandy. If they form the banks of one of the small estuaries, then they are muddy and provide a habitat for mangroves (see Picture 1)."


Picture 2 (left): A Nipah Palm on Ubin (Source: Ubin Stories Gallery, 5 Sept 2004)
Picture 3 (right): The natural sandy shores of Noordin Beach (Source: Ubin Stories Gallery, 5 Sept 2004)

"Further inland, as the water becomes brackish, Nipah Palm ecosystems (see Picture 2) may flourish. Other beaches are essentially sandy and the sand is formed from the granitic rocks. (see Picture 3)"

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References:

Waller, Edmund (2001) "Landscape Planning in Singapore" (Singapore: Singapore University Press) pp.165-171

Flute Rocks

From: Edmund Waller's (2001) "Landscape Planning in Singapore"

Few areas of Pulau Ubin are more than one kilometre from the sea and a study of the coastal geomorphology of the islands of Singapore (Swan, 1971:43-61) includes some examples from Pulau Ubin. Some of the rocks exhibit evidence of exfoliation in which the outer skin of the rock peels off like an onion. The exposed granite also weathers into rather unusual vertical grooves or flutes (see picture 1), which interested early geologists such as Logan (1847). These solution grooves often extend below the mean low water mark. A beautiful example of this may be seen at the former "Nature House" (now a Club House) where the naturally sculptured rock has been covered with orange lichens and then partially swalloed by a huge fig tree.

[editor's note: anybody know this rock and tree? Photos?]


Picture 1: "Flute rocks" (Source: Ubin Stories Gallery, 5 Sept 2004)

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References:

Waller, Edmund (2001) "Landscape Planning in Singapore" (Singapore: Singapore University Press) pp.165-171

Swan S.B.StC. (1971) "Coastal Geomorphology in a Hot Humid Low-energy Environment: The Islands of Singapore" in Journal of Tropical Geography, Vol 33