Plans to expand Downtown East next to Pasir Ris mangroves and along Pasir Ris shores were
just announced.
A new resort will be built at the current site of Escape Theme Park. The current Costa Sands Resort will be replaced by a water theme park which will be
twice its current size.
Will this expansion impact Sungei Tampines and the special Pasir Ris mangroves nearby?
Here's a closer look at the location of the current water theme park. Nearby is Sungei Tampines and the mangroves at Pasir Ris Park. Thanks to Heng Pei Yan who pointed it out, this map doesn't show the Pasir Ris mangroves accurately.
Here's a look at the Pasir Ris mangroves on Google Earth.
According to
media articles: The current Costa Sands Resort will stay open while the new resort is being built, and works to expand the water theme park, Wild Wild Wet, will begin when construction of the resort is complete. Full details of the master plan will be publicly announced in July 2012 and changes will start at the end of 2012. It is expected to take five years to complete, at a cost of about $100 million.
Hopefully, the master plan will take into account the unique values of Pasir Ris mangroves. Here, special plants and animals can be easily observed for free by anyone at all times of the day and night. These include delightful otters, nesting birds, and other fascinating wildlife like watersnakes, mudskippers and monitor lizards. Here's a great clip of an otter seen at Pasir Ris mangroves in Dec 2011 shared by Azeoprop.
More about what I saw at Pasir Ris mangroves
just a few days ago, with links to other information about the mangroves there.
Pasir Ris mangroves is the last mangroves in the area and it would be a shame to lose them.
