Visiting Bedok Reservoir Park

So I biked to Bedok Reservoir Park (BRP) earlier this week to look into how the place is governed and its stakeholders managed. Interestingly enough the park seems to have been further developed since my last visit back in 2015. So let’s jump right into the park itself.

Main Entrance

Visitors to the park first see this rather quaint building that’s sort of a hut with a fish tank in the center. But when you turn the corner, it is not just a rest point but also an art display!

As can be seen in the photo above, the center of the hut is taken up by this mural locked in the glass tank. The mural isn’t fixed, it changes on occasion as determined by the park board. The hut is typically used for the regular skating sessions conducted in the park as well. So on weekends there are groups occupying the space around and within the hut.

Further down from the hut are multiple exercise areas and playgrounds. Despite their age and constant use, the facilities are still well maintained and seem popular enough amongst park goers.

Park Track

The park track is a 4.3km long gravel track ringing the reservoir in the center of the park. The initial portion of the track has a separate path leading down to a wooden platform. The platform is often used for fishing or general viewing because it gives a rather nice view of the reservoir and its surroudings.

The park is also home to this adventure park that’s filled with high element obstacle courses. Its usually booked by companies and schools for their team bonding activities which was rather surprising because I remember back when this course was launched, the initial reception to it was mixed. Most park goers I knew at the time saw it as a needless addition to the park. Which we will discuss the next post since it highlights a difference in opinion between the public and the park governors.

 The reservoir also has fishing spots littering its circumference. As can be seen in the picture, fishing is quite popular around the park. I thought this was quite important because with fishing, the park management also needs to manage the aquatic life present in the water body to ensure that fishing remains sustainable even if its just recreational fishing.

In addition to fishing, the reservoir is also heavily used for water sports which adds another layer to the whole management of the main water body. So not only do the management have to ensure the park remains a supply of water for Singapore; a sustainable fishing spot but also deal with tons of sports enthusiasts entering its waters daily.

Lastly, BRP is also home to a bird watching area. Its quite an uncommon sight in Singapore now as most of these bird keepers tend to be the older generation. They keep their pet birds in these little cages and hang them from these poles. These older folk tend to just spend the day in the park like that. Its not really an issue now but what happens when this bird keeping goes out of fashion? Will the park authorities remove this area or keep it as part of its heritage.