By: O. Safitrie *)
If there is a city that Jakarta can learn much from, it is Singapore. Both share similar characteristic as a city with abundant people living on limited spaces. As a city state, Singapore has done a wonderful job in planning its use of land. In terms of population density, Singapore is slightly more dense than Jakarta, yet the living experience is much more convenient here.
According to 11th edition of Demographia World Urban Areas (Built-Up Urban Areas or World Agglomerations) 2015, Singapore population density is 28,100 while Jakarta is 24,500. This statistics are calculated by comparing the number of population and the size of the land.
Given the limited land it owns, this city state carefully use its piece of land so that the people can enjoy a good life regardless the crowd. One brilliant idea of how to optimize its limited area is the creation of Marina Barrage.
The Marina Barrage is the the first catchment that is located at Singapore city center. It is a multifunction landmark that highly beneficial not only for the country but also for individuals in Singapore. It functions as water supply and flood prevention for the country, and being a lifestyle attraction for many people. As a foreigner, I found this place attractive as a tourism destination as well because we can enjoy Singapore skyline at the roof top. It is a good place to capture Singapore’s beauty.
As a water supply, Marina reservoir can provide 10% of Singapore demand. According to its official website, on 20 November 2010, the Marina Reservoir was commissioned by former Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew as a freshwater reservoir. It began the desalting in April 2009 through natural replacement by rainwater.
As a flood control, The Marina Barrage is part of a comprehensive flood control scheme to alleviate flooding in the low-lying areas in the city such as Chinatown, Boat Quay, Jalan Besar and Geylang. It releases excess water by opening up the gate so that the water will floe to sea when the sea tide is low or by using a giant pump when the tide is high.
As a lifestyle attraction, the area can be used for recreational purposes like boating, windsurfing, kayaking and dragonboating. I saw some people do jogging in the area as well as. In late afternoon there are also many kids flying kites. During weekend, many Singaporean also go picnic here.
Jakarta had started to have multifunctional area like Waduk Pluit that can be leveled up to be Jakarta’s ‘Marina Barrage’. However, there are still many things to improve so that there will be more ‘Waduk Pluit’ that can help preventing the flood as well as pleasing Jakarta people.
*) The Author Is Singapore Contributor