Cross Island Line ~ Development Vs Nature

Recently there was some debate over the Cross Island line, click on the link to read more about the news.

Source of picture from http://forums.sgtrains.com/showthread.php?tid=2411

From the map in the news, The Cross Island Line will connect the east end Changi to major stops Hougang, Ang Mo Kio, Sin Ming, Bukit Timah, Clementi, West Coast, and finally Jurong Industrial estate. 

Noticed that this Cross Island Line totally skipped the central CBD area. In the existing East West Line, it connects the east to the west end by going through the central CBD area like City Hall and Raffles Place to facilitate people commuting for work or leisure. The CBD stops also act as the interchange to the North South line too. 

However through the years, the government had developed other industrial parks or regional centres in the outskirts like Tampiness Regional Centre, Changi Business Park, Jurong Industrial Park, Woodlands Regional Centre and etc. I think the focus in the upcoming line is to ease commuters who are staying in the north central area, east, northeast and west to be able to commute more easily to these industrial parks and regional centres without jamming the central area.

This serves as a backup as well in the event if the EW line breaks down and also to cater to the increasing population target I think. Therefore this Cross Island Line is a strategic important project which if implement, will really helps in the way we travel. 

However one controversy of this project is the possibility of going under through the nature reserve for 2km which could have a "moderate" impact to the environment based on a latest environmental impact assessment (EIA). Another possibility is to skirt the reserve instead of going under through it but that might require land acquisition, and add 6 minutes to travel time.

While I applaud the decision of the government to develop the MRT lines to improve the travelling time of commuters, but I felt that should not be at the expense of our natural environment. The central catchment area is an important green belt for Singapore. One of the major factors why Singapore is not as polluted as other countries despite our intense urban development is thanks to our forefathers' foresight to develop Singapore as a Garden City, where people lived together with the nature by having greenery all around our housing estates, business centres and even highways. 

In Singapore, we could still see the blue sky (except during the haze period), but that is not the case in other countries. Keeping a blue sky in Singapore is utmost important to our future development and existent. I foresee that in the future, having a blue sky is a rarity that people will want to flock to the land which could provide blue sky and fresher air for survival. Air and environmental pollution is getting severe which is causing global warming, and there is no turning back unless we human beings changed the way we live now. 

Therefore preserving the nature is the most important agenda for our future in my humble opinion. It only takes a short few years to construct the line but at the expense of moderate damage to the nature reserve which might take hundred over years to restore or perhaps never. 

The cost to go underground the nature reserve is $2 billion lesser than skirting around the reserve according to the news. It is also less hassle to acquire land as it will affect owners who stay on the affected area. 

Therefore, from the way I see it, this is more of a cost issue. That extra 6 minutes travelling time is not the main deciding factor, I think. I believe no one will even notice about that extra 6 minutes when it starts operating. But saving that 6 minutes might endangered those wildlife on the land which could caused much suffering to the nature. The opportunity cost to the nature is too high to be ignore.  

So now it is a fight between saving $$ or saving the environment. Do we want to take the easier way but at the expense of our future environment or take the more challenging route but preserving our nature for a better future for everyone including our children. 

I hope our children will continue to see the blue sky. 

Quoting from the book "如果地球被我们吃掉了"

最后只剩下钱，可是钱又不能吃。

只剩下金子，可是金子又不能用来呼吸。

In the end, only left money, but money cannot be eaten. 

In the end, only left gold, but gold cannot be use for breathing.