A 1.2km stretch of the Alexandra Canal having undergone a 23-month revitalisation under the PUB’s Active, Beautiful, Clean (ABC) Waters programme, was officially opened on 19 March 2011.
As part of this revitalisation, an approximate 200m length of the once purely utilitarian canal, starting from Prince Charles Crescent to Tanglin Road, is transformed into a linear park with a decked wetland waterway traversed by boardwalks and incorporating a shallow water play area.
Wetland Ecology & Biodiversity
The wetland habitat featuring plants such as the papyrus reed, cattail and water lily, supports wetland biodiversity, attracting visits by dragonflies, damselflies and birds. The plants purify water pumped from the canal by filtering out sediment and taking in nitrogen and phosphorus before returning it to the canal. The public meanwhile learns about different wetland systems and habitats and associated plants and is encouraged to think about water sustainability.
Fostering Better Appreciation
Lookout decks at the water’s edge bring visitors closer to the water and educational hubs in the park further enhance the learning experience by showing the importance of sustainable clean water resource. Bridges built across the canal allow visitors easy access to both banks and parts of the canal were deliberately left uncovered to allow visitors to see the canal beneath. The shallow water play area allows close family interaction with the water through play, helping to foster better appreciation for this valuable resource
Elmich VGM Green Wall
Built 6 feet off the ground on top of the covered canal, the Alexandra Canal Linear Park is unique. The wall at the end of its raised deck, where the canal meets and goes under Tanglin Road, is capped by aElmich VGM Green Wall. Attractively installed with a chequered design, the green wall camouflages the otherwise exposed concrete wall, helping it to blend into the green ambiance of the park.
The Elmich VGM Green Wall is the ideal engineered solution for urban greening in increasingly built up environments, offering environmental, aesthetic, health and therapeutic benefits.