STOP POLLUTION
NOW!
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Leader:
Brenda
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Members:
Deanna
Clara
Emeline
Charlene
OUR gallery.
KALLANG RIVER
SUNGEI SERANGOON
GEOGRAPHY
Wednesday, April 29, 2009, 5:41 AM
STOP POLLUTION!
Kallang River
CAUSES
it has a lot of rubbish, for example milk cartons, plastic bottles. The construction site nearby and some inconsiderate people littered into the river caused by pollution nearby factories released untreated waste into the river.
EFFECTS
Marine animals living in the river would die as they thought the rubbish was food and ate it, causing them to choke.
SUNGEI SERANGOON
There wasnt much rubbish but there were oil spills. These may be discharged by
factories. People fishing at the river may have littered there too. As the layer of oil blocks oxygen from entering, thus the fishes and water plants would die.
CONSEQUENCES OF POLLUTION
- There would be lesser marine life in the river
- Waters in the rivers will be dirty
Causes of water pollution!
1. Sewage and wastewater.
2. Marine dumping.
3. Industrial waste.
4. Oil pollution.
5. Radioactive waste.
6. Eutrophication.
7. Global warming.
8. Underground storage leakages.
9. Atmospheric Deposition.
1. Sewage and wastewater.
2. Marine dumping.
3. Industrial waste.
4. Oil pollution.
5. Radioactive waste.
6. Eutrophication.
7. Global warming.
8. Underground storage leakages.
9. Atmospheric Deposition.
PREVENTIVE MEASURES
- Put up signboards to stop pollution
- Organise campaigns or talks such as campaigns to clean up the river and its surroundings, and talks about the consequences of littering in the river.
SCIENCE DATA
5:14 AM
pH level of :
Kallang River : 6
Possible substances that could have contributed to this:
Food leftovers and rubbish.
Sungei Serangoon: 8
Possible substances that could have contributed to this:
Oil, chemicals in river.
TEMPERATURE OF:
Kallang river
River water: 29.5 Degrees Celsius
The air near the river: 28.5 Degrees Celsius
Difference in temperature: 1 Degree Celsius
Sungei Serangoon
River water: 30 Degrees Celsius
The air near the river: 31 Degree Celsius
Difference in temperature: 1 Degree Celsius
BACTERIA CULTURE
Q:Is there presence of bacteria?
A:
Kallang river- Yes, as observed, the colonies of the bacteria are blurry.
Sungei Serangoon-
Yes, as observed, the colonies of the bacteria have a lot of maggots in the petri dish and it is also blurry.
CONCLUSION!
- The dirtier the environment, the more polluted the river.
Q: After testing the water samples from the river, do you think the the river is polluted?
A:
Kallang River- Yes, it has a lot of rubbish dumped in it.
Sungei Serangoon- Yes, the UI [universal indicator] shows that it has high
alkalinity.
So....
The KALLANG RIVER is more polluted due to the following activities:
Construction, littering, etc.
ENGLISH- PERSONAL RECOUNTS
Tuesday, April 28, 2009, 10:46 PM
EMELINE:When I heard that we were going on a trip to Kallang River and Sungei Serangoon, I thought that it was going to be very boring. However, I was proved wrong.
When we boarded the bus, some boys rushed to get the back seats while the girls and the rest of the boys looked for seats and sat down. When the journey started, the bus was very chaotic. We were not allowed to walk in the bus to prevent us from falling down and injuring ourselves. I sat with Charlene and fell asleep.
I was woken up by Mr Chan’s loud voice telling us that we had reached Kallang River. I saw a construction site nearby and decided that the river was going to be very dirty. I was right when group walked towards the river to have a closer look. The river was filled with a lot of rubbish that inconsiderate people had thrown into the river. There was also a dead cockroach and a dead fish. We had to take the water sample but no one in my group wanted to do that. I took the plastic vial bottle and scooped out some water and we put the Universal Indicator (UI) into the bottle to see its pH level. We also had to take the temperature of the river water and the air. When we were walking back to complete our worksheets, we saw mercury on the ground. We then found out that one group had dropped their thermometer and mercury spilled out. After some time, we had to go to Sungei Serangoon. Therefore, we boarded the same bus and as usual, the boys rushed to get the back seats.
When we reached Sungei Serangoon, it was near some condominiums and was supposed to be clean. However, when we walked down the steps towards the river, I could see a layer of oil on the river. There were 2 men fishing and I doubt they knew that they were not supposed to fish there. We had to do the same thing as what we did at Kallang River. We could not take the water sample as it was a low tide that day and we were blocked by some railings. Mr Chan tried to tie the stick he was holding onto to a pail. He lowered down the pail but was still unable to reach the water. Sheng Ge who was the tallest boy in the class tried to collect the river water too but only a small amount was collected, but he had tried his very best, Mr Chan and the other teachers thought so too. To do that he had to put his head through the small gap in between a pair of railings, it was hilarious. Charlene and I then sat down together to discuss about the worksheet. After some fun, it was time to go back to school and we went up the bus. At that time, I was seriously very tired and slept.
When we reached school, I reflected on the trip and thought that it was very educational and a little fun. I saw how dirty the rivers were although I thought that they were supposed to be clean. I will continue to do my part to keep the rivers clean by not throwing litter into the river.
CLARA:
After our class got on the bus from the Kallang River, the boys rushed for the back seats. I sat with Deanna on the trip to Sungei Serangoon. During the long trip, I tried to visualise how the river there looked like. Was it polluted? Did it had construction sites near it? These questions were not answered as I have never been to that river before. I don’t know why, but from its name, it tells me that it is a clean river. But as the saying goes,” Do not judge a book by its cover,” I had no right to conclude that it was clean and not polluted.
As soon as we were told by Mr Chan that we had arrived at Sungei Serangoon, I went down the bus. I was immediately greeted by amazing scenery full of trees, and the area was very quiet. I could see some students from the nearby neighborhood school walking back home to a few of the condominiums. Anyway, the teachers led us to the river, which was actually just a stone’s throw away from where we were. My smile immediately turned upside down when I saw the river. What was in front of me were a river that was polluted with much oil. In fact, it was very oily. You could practically see a layer of oil on top of the river water.
Then it was time to test for the pH level and temperature from the water sample. However, from the railings, we could not reach the river as our string attached to the pail was far too short. Mr Chan did not want us to go beyond the railing as the sides after you climb over the railings were very steep and if you mistook a step, you might find yourself in the water. As such, it was far too dangerous. Our teachers put their heads together, brainstormed and squeezed every possible brain juice. They tried everything they thought of- just like Albert Einstein, who tried 10,000 times- and finally after about 20 minutes, they had an idea. They had asked Sheng Ge to lie on the floor through the gap below the railing, and hold the pole to get the water sample. It took some time to have managed to get the water samples too, as there were many jerks along the way while the pail was being brought up. After that, you could see the teachers heaving a sign of relief.
After completing our task for the fieldtrip worksheets, we could hear Mr Chan trying to gather the whole class. He had to shout, as some of our classmates were not listening. Wow, it sure only took his voice to quieten the class! He told us to give back the thermometers to Miss Tan, as when our class was at Kallang River, we had broke some thermometers and mercury spilled on the ground. I guess that was why he emphasized us to carefully give it to her.
As usual, as we were lining up to enter the bus, the boys were in front of us. They really wanted to sit at the back again. At this time of the day, I was very tired and I could tell that Deanna was too. I was pretty sure Emeline and Charlene weren’t, as they had already slept in the bus during the trip to Kallang. Brenda looked tired too.
Once we set foot on the ground in school, I began to feel extremely tired. I walked as slow as the rain clouds reaching the desert towards the classroom. We handed up all the apparatus and our worksheets to Miss Tan. I felt sad and happy that the day ended so fast. Sad that I couldn’t stay longer outside of school with 1A, but happy that I was one step closer to my bed.
I felt that this trip was educational and somewhat enjoyable. I got to learn more deeply about river pollution and also felt lucky that I had the chance to see it in front of me, testing the pH level and temperatures, etc. It was fun despite the constant humidity of Singapore!
BRENDA:
When I heard that we were going to Kallang river and Sungei Serangoon to study about the rivers I was excited as I have never been to study the river before and wondered what it would be like. I thought that all the rivers in Singapore were quite clean as it is a clean and green city.
Appoint reaching Kallang river, I was shocked to see so much litter floating on the water surface. There was plastic bottles, sweet wrappers and drink cartons floating by the shore of the river. I was afraid to collect the water sample as the water looked very dirty and polluted. We had to collect water samples from the river and record the temperature of the water using the labortary thermometer and the pH level using the UI strip. The UI was quite cool as it has different colours and they will change depending on the pH level of the liquid.
A group broke their thermometer and there was drops of mercury on the floor and Mr Chan was trying to remove the mercury but could'nt and Emeline suggested that he should use the dropper to suck up the drops of mercury on the floor. After disposing the mercury, we left Kallang river and headed for Sungei Serangoon.
When we reached Sungei Serangoon, we had to walk a stone's throw from where we alighted from the bus. I was glad to see the greenery surrounding the river as it was quite beautiful and some people fishing for fish. I was dissapointed to see that the water in Sungei Serangoon was covered with a layer of oil, it proves that people released chemicals into the river. We tried to take water samples from the river but the string was too short, we could not go over the fence as there is a slope and the teachers were afraid that someone would get injured so we asked Shengge as he is the tallest guy in class. He laid on the floor and tried to fetch the water, after several trys he managed to get some water sample for our class.
The trip was educational and meaningful as I now know that the rivers in Singapore is not as clean as I thought it is.
DEANNA:
After our class had visited the polluted Kallang River,we rushed back to the bus to leave for Sungei Serangoon thinking that it was very clean as it was near condominiums .As we were in the bus,the whole class was very noisy as to their excitement.The teacher that had accompanied us to this field trip,Mr Chan was not satisfied with this noise level so he shouted towards the back of the bus,”Keep quiet!”All it took were these two words to quieten down the class.The rest of the bus trip was kept in silence.Noise was no longer busting out of the bus like it did before.
When our class arrived at Sungei Serangoon, I got off the bus with Clara hoping to run freely towards the river through the open field.But this advice in my mind kept popping into my mind and it was to think twice before you act so I decided to line up with the rest of the class behind Mr Chan which would lead us to the river.As I was walking along the route,I saw many flora and fauna growing in the surroundings,it was simply magnificent!But as we slowly approached the river step by step,our expressions started to change.Beyond the railings that were curfewing away the river from others,was just a dirty river.On the river's surface was an oil layer,i was astonished by this scene and this was nothing like I thought it was.There were also people fishing by the side of the river,these are activities that could affect the river's cleanliness.At that moment,Mr Chan asked us to get started on the task that were suppose to be conducted there,which was the main reason why we were there.My group members and I started swiftly as we had discussed about who was to do what in school.My group members consisted of Brenda,Clara,Emeline and Charlene.Mr Chan did not want us to go beyond the railings to collect water samples as it was dangerous,so,for safety precautions he took the pole that he was holding on to all along and tied it to a small blue bucket.He had the idea of throwing the bucket over railings and into the river.But at that time of day,the river was at low tide,so it was difficult to bring it down and back up again.He even tried to lie down while holding out the pole.But even after several attempts,it was to no avail.Our class captain Sheng Ge that was the tallest boy in the class tried to collect the river water too but only a small amount was collected,but he had tried his very best,Mr Chan and the other teachers thought so too.To do that he had to put his head through the small gap in between a pair of railings,it was hilarious.After our group obtained the water sample,Charlene had to do the worksheet regarding the pollution in the river.At the other hand,Clara was in charge of taking pictures of the river pollutions and the surroundings.My group members and I settled down in a corner and started to take the temperature of the water and its surrounding air and recorded it down in the worksheet given.
After an hour or so,Mr Chan gathered the whole class together to tell us that we had to leave the premise and rush back to school as time was limited.And as i got up the bus and sat down i my seat,i said to myself in my head,"time flies when you are having a good time!"The bus trip back to school was peaceful and noisy like just now as we were all exhausted out.So,Mr Chan did not have to stand up every minute to tell us to keep quiet and not stand up when the bus is moving.Clara and I started to talk but after the whole bus was in complete silence so we decided to keep quiet too.When we reached school,all of us just walked as slowly as snails and as far as our legs could carry us towards the classroom to get our bags.And to hand up the worksheet and water samples to the other teacher,Miss Tan.The whole class went in different directions back home,and this fine day ended like that....
I felt that this trip was very fruitful,interesting and educational.It made us learn facts and study in a fun way!But at the same time I was shocked by the dirtiness of the rivers in Singapore as before this trip i had always thought that they were very clean.But to every cause there is an effect,so we just have to find the root of the problem.At least now i have seen it with my own eyes and will do my part to keep the rivers clean in a every way I can such as:do not throw litter into the rivers.I have also discovered interesting facts like the pollution in the river affects the pH level and acidity of the river.
CHARLENE:
“Okay class, settle down.” said the teacher. We all sat down at our places and she began to give us a brief description about what was going to happen next. Then, she began to give out the materials to us. After receiving the materials, we went to the foyer to wait for the bus to take us to the rivers. 10 minutes have passed, and finally our bus arrived. The whole class was so excited and noisy that we had to be scolded by our teacher to keep quiet.
FINALLY, we reached the first river… the Kallang River. We took turns to collect our water sample which was so dirty that I had to ask Emeline to help me collect the water sample. Our group then measured the water temperature in and out of the water and we dipped the universal indicator into the plastic bottle. I went up to the pathway to complete the task given in the worksheet. The teacher was so angry then and I didn’t know why. Then I saw something silvery, it was MERCURY!!! He told us how dangerous it was to have mercury lying on the ground and all. After everything was done, we boarded the bus and headed for Sungei Serangoon.
We soon reached our second river…Sungei Serangoon. The teacher told us that the river was opposite another secondary school so we had to be in our best behavior when we were walking to the river. We finally reached there after a short 5 minute walk and began to take the water sample from the river. However, there was a barrier and we could not reach the water. Luckily, we came prepared. We used a little bucket tied to a very long stick but the string wasn’t long enough to reach the water. There was another class there too and they managed to get the water so we asked them if we could take some water from them for our water samples. After we had finished everything, we boarded the bus and headed back to school. At first, i thought that the trip to the rivers would be boring but i realized that it wasn't that bad at all. When I was in the class taking by bag, I felt tired but I also learnt many things that were new to me like how pollution will affect us and what the bad effects are and how the pH level will affect the marine life living in the rivers.
Labels: ENGLISH- PERSONAL RECOUNTS