Research on Pulau Ubin in Singapore

HH2001 capital of capital of capital of capital of capital of capital of capital of Singapore The fashioning of A Cosmopolitan City- democracy Research opus Ong Wei Xiu Janine U1230453D Introduction The purpose of this essay is to insure emerge how Pulau Ubin played a satisfying percentage in the knowledge of Singapore since the late clxxx0s until today. I sh each(prenominal) begin by giving a brief accounting entry of Pulau Ubin and go on to elaborate round how the is place down played a probative role in helping Singapores development in miscellaneous aspects. This idea shall be investigated according to twain pregnant categories granite infernal regioning and nonice is terra firma.I will consequently conclude the essay by commenting almost whether Pulau Ubin will continue to play a significant role in Singapores development in the pricey future. Brief Introduction On Pulau Ubin make comparable a boomerang, Pulau Ubin is the second largest seaward island o f Singapore. Measuring a distance of or so 7 kilometres across and about 2 kilometres at its breadth with area of intimately-nigh 10 square kilometres, the island lies towards the northeast of the metropolis-state in the Straits of Johor.It is a st genius island principally composed of igneous rocks of granite that are believed to be more than 200 million historic period old. Since the founding of Singapore by the British, the island has been know for its grand resource of granite. The premier 2 phaross of the country were built with granite from Pulau Ubin. Subsequently, granite was fashioned for various purposes doneout the city-states history, including the mental synthesis of the iconic HDB flats on mainland Singapore.The exposure to sea, abandoned quarry lakes and secondary forests make Pulau Ubin a born(p) choice for cookery. The trend of lark training on the island took flight when the external skirt School set up its first site on the island eyepatch answer ing the g everywherenments war cry for the creation of a toughened smart set that could withstand the rigours of sudden dry landhood in 1967. other(a) casualty campsites and facilities were later developed around the island to cater to the needs of outdoor(a) casualty enthusiasts. Granite QuarryingAfter the British founded Singapore, vast amounts of granite were found on Pulau Ubin. Works began in 1848 to extract the granite for build Singapores first beacon located in Pedra Branca, a handsome island 56 kilometres to the east of mainland Singapore. Captain mob Horsburgh, a hydrographer who surveyed and chartered seaways and large bodies of water, sustain that as Pedra Branca was a small flinty island that was non easily recognizable from a distance and it made the island a feign for ships passing by.Hence, John Turnbull Thomson, a British civil engineer, built the Horsburgh Lighthouse (named after(prenominal) Captain James Horsburgh) in 1847 utilise bricks and mo rtar. However, it was not strong enough and could not last. Thomson then turned his eyes onto the granite stones of Pulau Ubin and had it fashioned in 1848 by stonebreakers and cutters to be apply for the look of the lighthouse. This helped Singapore to too remove ownership of the island that was often disputed for by the surrounding region.Subsequently, a second lighthouse located in Pulau Satumu, the Raffles Lighthouse, was also built using granite from Pulau Ubin to mark the southernmost tip of Singapores territory. It proved to be of huge importance as it served as a safety soft touch for one of the worlds busiest exaltation lanes in the narrowest section of the Singapore Strait. aside from these two lighthouses that helped to mark out significant territorial points of Singapore, the granite from Pulau Ubin was also used for the construction of the Causeway between Singapore and Malaysia over a pan of 5 years from 1919. With more quarrying works to be done because of the large amount of granite postulate by the British to build fundament on mainland Singapore, population started to rise on Pulau Ubin. Soon, the island became a major supplier of granite for the building industry. The local Malays also tapped onto the resources and started selling splendid granite slabs, stone tombs and granite grinders. The British constantly byword the need for an in-depth study about the vast amounts of granite that could be extracted for construction and roadworks.They eventually came up with a report on the availability of granite on Singapore and the surrounding islands in 1950 to find out exactly where and how much granite could be extracted on the various get goings of Singapore (of which, more than twice the number of areas place were from Pulau Ubin). There are a bestow of five granite quarries on Pulau Ubin. Despite having quarries like Aik Hwa Granite Quarry which produced about 160 to 180 tonnes of granite per month and support up to 40 percent o f what was needed for the construction works in Singapore, there was a famine in granite supply in the primaeval 1990s.This caused the granite suppliers to think of ways to increase their productivity. Resources reading Corportation (RDC), one of the quarries on Pulau Ubin, even looked into initiation a new crusher inventt. Eventually, all the quarries on Pulau Ubin and mainland Singapore was made to close downhearted by the Public Works plane section (PWD) in set to protect the subjective environment as well as to free up the land for discontinue economic use. game IslandIn 1967, Dr Goh Keng Swee, the then-Minister for Defence and midland asked for the setting up of an Outward throttle School (OBS) to build a rugged society in light of the challenges face up by a young nation that was near denied of organism a vocalism of a large domestic market. By putting participants through trainings on land and at sea, OBS hoped to train and help them to imbibe the value in themselves and others, as well as discover their strengths in order to be free from fear and self-doubt.The rugged nature of the wild terrains on Pulau Ubin was a inborn choice for it to become an optimal site for OBS. Having the capacity to train 23,000 passel (comprising children, youths and adults) a year and having been pivotal in the training of young Singaporeans to bear the ever-changing needs of society, OBS has made an involve in the nation of Singapore through running its range of programmes on its two Pulau Ubin campsites.Apart from bringing out the best in the people of Singapore, the experience of training in OBS was also vital in training budding leaders of the country. Singapores current Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong (the son of the then-Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew), had much to indicate for when he spoke of his fond memories of how he blended in with everyone else, realized that he could push himself to the limit, and do things he never theme he could do dur ing an OBS course tooshie in 1967.He went on to praise the OBS for universe one of the best Outward Bound centres in the world. All these could not have been possible, if not for the initial efforts of volunteers who turbulently set up the logistics and ran the courses ceaselessly on Pulau Ubin. The Ministry of Education (MOE) also realized how Pulau Ubin was an angel location to place two major campsites for promoting a rugged lifestyle in training student cadets from National plebe Corps (NCC) and National Police cadet Corps (NPCC).Dr Tay Eng Soon, the Senior Minister of State (Education) then, announced the plans to build these two sites backward in 1990, citing that the reason for doing so was to get children out of their flats and come closer into liaison with nature, as Singapore is now highly urbanised. The administration had plans of exploitation Pulau Ubin as an lark Island since 1990. The island was suitable in supporting an ordinate of outdoor activities, resid ential amenities and guess facilities while putting disturbance to the natural environment to the minimum.Singaporeans have also present an interest towards a life of adventure on the island of Pulau Ubin, creating a kind of apex of mind awareness about the island being the iconic site for adventure-enthusiasts currently and in the future. Conclusion Having put down its locating as one of the major granite suppliers for Singapore since the 1990s, Pulau Ubin has transformed its image from being an island that churns out tonnes of granite for construction on the mainland to being an warning sanctuary away from the bustling city with a holistic variety of adventure activities waiting to engage the city dwellers of all ages.Whether it is the experience of being a part of the nation-building process during the heydays of granite quarrying or the memories beat by having attended various camps and outdoor activities conducted on the island, Pulau Ubin seems to have played a significan t role in the development and progress of Singapore as a nation, as well as in the hearts and minds of Singaporeans in general. However, the future of Pulau Ubin may not be anything like its past.In the governments concept plan presented in the parliament, there seems to be plans of linking Pulau Ubin to the mainland through MRT soak up extensions as well as developing the island in light of the situation of land scarcity on mainland Singapore. Though these were just some of the hints gathered from a go for by the Governments construct Plan back in the 1990s, one cannot deny that Pulau Ubin has always maintained an important status in the minds of the states planners, and will probably always be, in the years to come. Reference The Causeway, A enceinte Engineering Work Completed.. The Straits times, June 27, 1924. Alexander, FES. depict on the availability of granite on Singapore and the surrounding islands. Singapore Government Publications Bureau, 1950. Chua, Ee Kiam. Pulau Ubin Ours to Treasure. Singapore Simply Green, 2000. Boonzaier, Jonathan. Raffles mud beacon of light in Singapore Strait. Trade Winds, April 13, 2013. Yum, Shoen Liang. Govt should study further its plan for Ubin and Tekong. The Straits Times, The Sunday Times edition, sec.Forum, border 02, 1991. Granite quarry owners seek to resume blasting. The argumentation Times, June 18, 1990. Granite suppliers step up production to meet demand.. The Business Times, , sec. Business Times Singapore, family 13, 1990. Keep Ubin as it is, says Chok Tong after touring Adventure Island. The Straits Times, The Sunday Times edition, October 09, 1990. semipermanent development plans for Tekong and Ubin revealed. The Straits Times, The Sunday Times edition, sec. Home, February 25, 1991. Of Courage and Character.Outward Bound Singapore The first 40 years. Singapore Peoples Association, 2007. Two stupendous campsites to promote the rugged life on the cards. The Straits Times, The Sunday Times edition, sec. Home, June 01, 1990. Waller, Edmund. beautify planning in Singapore. Singapore Singapore University Press, 2001. http//books. google. com. sg/books? id=L5kLBHwUwfECpg=PA48lpg=PA48dq=hdb quarrysource=blots=EEUo_IR_5hsig=twpNwCT89Xnc30TpJrtKsk3zxxIhl=ensa=Xei=d8dqUbvvMu-ViQeC8oD4DA