Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research

Reservoir

Photo credit: Wang Luan Keng

Description

Reservoirs are artificial freshwater environments, built by barraging several of Singapore's largest rivers, made to store rainwater that falls on their catchments and serve as a major supply of water for domestic and industrial needs of Singapore. On top of serving as an important source of water, Singapore's reservoir also function as venues for sports and recreation. By the end of 2011, there would be 17 reservoirs in Singapore, covering  two-thirds of its total land area. Some of the reservoirs in Singapore include MacRitchie Reservoir (Singapore's first), Lower Peirce Reservoir, Upper and Lower Seletar Reservoirs, Kranji Reservoir, Murai Reservoir, Pandan Reservoir, Poyan Reservoir, Sarimbun Reservoir, Tengeh Reservoir and the three newest reservoirs (Marina, Punggol and Seranggon).

Reservoirs are artificial equivalents of large open water bodies. However, these water environments are different from the shaded, shallow, acidic and flowing waters that naturally occur in Singapore. The open, deeper, less acidic and sluggish water properties of reservoirs make it harsher for native freshwater flora and fauna to live in. In fact, many reservoirs are home to multiple exotic organisms.

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Reservoir

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