Four things to know from Ubin Day 2022

New and improved amenities including personal alert buttons for elderly villagers, more firefighting infrastructure and an upgraded micro-grid at Pulau Ubin were announced by the National Parks Board (NParks) at this year’s Ubin Day on Saturday (Jun 25).

This marks the 11th year that Ubin Day has been organised to celebrate and appreciate the different aspects of the island. It is also a culmination of Pesta Ubin, a three-week-long festival to learn more about Pulau Ubin’s rich biodiversity and history. 

Minister for Culture, Community and Youth & Second Minister for Law Edwin Tong and Minister for National Development & Minister-in-Charge of Social Services Integration Desmond Lee were accompanied by Friends of Ubin Network (FUN) and members of the community to plant 50 trees on Ubin Day as part of the OneMillionTrees Movement.

Here are four things you should know about Pulau Ubin’s new and upgraded facilities:

NParks, Friends of Ubin Network (FUN) and the community have implemented species recovery and habitat enhancement projects to conserve and enhance the island’s biodiversity.

A site along Ketam Quarry was converted into a bird nesting area in 2016 and caters to three different bird species which are the Blue-throated Bee-eater, Baya Weaver and Red-wattled Lapwing.

Since the implementation, a total of 21 successful nesting by Blue-throated Bee-eater were recorded. The nests were monitored with camera traps, an endoscope and a video camera.

NParks has also consistently introduced floating wetlands at the Pekan Quarry since 2015 to provide more habitats for birds such as herons, kingfishers, and ducks.

Earlier this June, the first breeding of the Lesser Whistling Ducks was recorded after seeing a pair of such species last year.

Personal Alert Buttons (PABs), a pilot project developed in collaboration with Government Technology Agency (GovTech), were installed by NParks in the homes of five seniors who are living alone in Pulau Ubin.

These PABs will enable the villagers to call for immediate assistance when they face an emergency at home with a single press of a button.

Seniors may also choose to record a 10-second message to provide context on what has happened.

Since the PAB system requires a stable internet connection, NParks and GovTech have deployed a Remote Area Connectivity Solution (RACS) which combines different technologies such as WiFi and 4G to boost the island’s internet connectivity.

To strengthen the island’s fire management response, NParks will install fire hydrants and hose reels in three locations on Pulau Ubin — Main Village, Kampong Sungei Durian, and Ubin Living Lab.

The plan for an improved fire management response was formulated in consultation with residents and FUN members to meet the community’s needs.

This new installation will complement the current fire management response as a continuous and controllable supply of water will be available to control the spread of a fire.

The addition of these fire hydrants and hose reels will help the fire department to respond more efficiently to emergencies.

Villagers in Pulau Ubin will soon benefit from a cleaner and more reliable electricity supply as the Pulau Ubin Micro-Grid will be upgraded and expanded.

The improved micro-grid will test-bed a Solar Green Roof and an advanced energy storage system to increase the use of renewable energy on the island.

The suggestion for a cleaner and more reliable electricity supply came from the villagers.

The Pulau Ubin Micro-Grid was first launched in 2013 and has benefitted over 30 households. 

It also performs as a living lab to test-bed innovative clean energy solutions which will help in supporting a more sustainable energy future for Singapore.

With the improved version, it will extend from the Main Village to Kampong Sungei Durian, which will benefit 13 more households on the island.