Semakau Landfill visit part two

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Before I could think of the best way to cut the cake without actually cutting it up, the emcee started sorting us based on the sticker we were given at registration. There were two buses and one minivan for the Semakau tour, and I was placed into the van. I was really lucky to be in the van, because there were just five of us guests inside, and in such an enclosed setting everyone felt free to ask questions.

 

The NEA officer with us was really friendly as well. Each time we chugged past a certain area he dived into its history and current-day story. A few minutes into the ride we entered into a dark area with mountains of ash, and trucks with gigantic wheels- "one point eight metres tall!"- lumbered past with heapfuls of ash.

 

He pointed to us some areas that were teeming with life, and how it had been untouched by man - the flowers and grasslands that sprouted were entirely a work of nature. "Birds come to deposit seeds here," he laughed. Sometimes the ground was covered with ash, then a later of topsoil deposited on top again and the life cycle begins all over. We chugged past everything all too quickly; the quick seconds never really doing justice to the many years of hard work, invested by nature and man alike.

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Our first stop on the islet was a little beach. Rocks sit regally to form a gentle talus slope, which gradually guides one to the sea.​ Birds cooed and cawed as they soared around the place. And when the wind gurgled as it splashed through my hair I knew I had come to Eden. We soaked in this raw beauty for a moment. Then someone said there was a kind of sour smell wafting about somewhere. All of us laughed nervously but none of us were sure.

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Another NEA official, who had been in the same van as us, came up to share with us a little more. We learnt more about non-incinerated waste and incinerated waste, about the careful way NEA has to monitor the water level, to ensure it doesn't rise by too much in order to prevent flooding. He discussed Phase I and Phase II of Semakau Landfill. And to our surprise, he also shared about how fishes were 'transplanted' out of the offshore landfill space in order to preserve them as well. 

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I really liked this gentle way of waste management, this fretting over every species, every space, every life. 

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We got back into the van and chugged away, with a mixture of resentment that we had to leave all too soon, but eager to explore the other beauties of this tiny island. At one point we saw fish farms, managed by AVA, for exporting overseas. (I'm not sure if they are supplied to local supermarkets as well because the officer didn't mention that, but I guess they should be as well.) We laughed at this random and ingenious and crazy idea.  

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Then we passed through solar and wind farms. At this point, the Indian man in the van who had been silent for most of the journey began to talk animatedly. These were managed by NTU's Energy Research Institute; he was part of that team. 

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They were piloting and test bedding solar PV panels and wind turbines, and planning to export the energy to nearby poorer communities in neighbouring countries. To power 200 to 300 homes. I thought that was fascinating.

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And of course any talk on renewable energy always should be accompanied by exploring the possibility of shifting from fossils to renewables. So I tested: "Do you think it's possible that Singapore might be able to achieve 100% renewable energy?" 

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"Um no way. I think - "

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"How about fifty percent?" I butted in hopefully.

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He laughed and shook his head. There were many limitations, and our energy grid is not built that way. He says NTU is aiming for a more realistic goal of thirty percent. And he's an engineer. Got his Master's degree (from NUS). I'm a teenager. Got my A and O levels done.

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I asked why there were no wind turbines on the mainland. We can always add them to the roof of buildings. That way there shouldn't be a shortage of wind. He replied that it would add too much weight to the building and that would be dangerous. Ah. Why are they so heavy?

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Then we discussed solar panels. The more we learnt the more our moods dampened. Solar panels have an average lifespan of fifteen years. Yes, you can recycle, but its efficiency grinds down by a whopping sixty percent.

 

Please get better solar panels Singapore needs you!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

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After that, we alighted from the bus and entered into an air-conditioned small building. An NEA engineer, Mr Eng, who had been involved in the construction of Semakau Landfill was exchanging conversation with Dr Khor, around a model of Semakau in a glass enclosed table. He told us how they must compensate for the loss of the mangroves  - "NParks would not let us off easy!"-  and the difficulty of keeping in mind their demands like right pH and right soil (no, old and new soil are not the same). 

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NParks made them measure the area of mangroves to be sacrificed - a precise 11.6 hectares, Mr Eng recalls, laughing. They had to regrow the same area around the landfill. And that was still not enough - there were people sent to analyze all the different species of mangroves present in the original area. Nine saplings, bought from Indonesia, one per square metre. 

 

Eventually the mangroves thrived so much that it threw off the initial intention to have neat, nice straight rows of mangroves. And because the sea area designated for incinerated ash was left untouched, corals began to grow. And so NParks volunteers transferred the corals to a separate area.