Each time I visit Singapore, I am fascinated by the green grass and the beautiful trees, flowers, even shrubs. You may ask why, considering that there is so much more to see or do – like a visit to Clarke or Sentosa Island ! Well yes, but let explain. In the 1960s, when premier Lee Kuan Yew decided he wanted Singapore to become a garden city, he personally got interested in the subject of soil and vegetation, trees and drainage, climate and fertilizers.

He apparently became so involved in the subject that he even found out how in France, the broad tree lined boulevards were possible because a drainage system had been built below the pavements.

When he saw beautiful rolling meadows in New Zealand, he asked for the services of two experts from there under the Colombo Plan technical assistance scheme. Lee was told that Singapore did not have a grassland climate in which rain fell gently from the skies. Instead, being part of the equatorial region, it experienced torrential rainfall that would wash off the topsoil and with it the vital nutrients necessary for strong plant growth.

Under The Flyover

I know this is getting a little too detailed but do bear with me – In an equatorial forest, as Lee learnt, with big tall trees forming a canopy, the rain water drips down. But in Singapore, the trees had been chopped down, it would all come down in a big wash. So Lee decided that fertilizers would replenish the soil and began the task of making the compost from rubbish dumps, adding calcium and lime where the ground was too acidic.

Years later, when Singapore was already an acknowledged success, Lee asked his officials to find out which plants could survive below the flyovers where the sun did not shine much. And instead of having to water these plants regularly, which was expensive, he got his officials to find a way to channel water from the roads, after filtering it to get rid of the oil and grime from the traffic above.

When the flyovers became broader, shutting out the light completely, he ensured the roads were split into two so there would be a gap in the middle with enough space for sunshine and rain to seep through and greenery and vegetation to thrive below. “I sent them on missions all along the Equator and the tropical, sub tropical zones, looking for new types of trees, plants, creepers and so on. From Africa, the Caribbean, Latin, Middle and Central America, we’ve come back with new plants. It’s a very small sum. But if you get the place greened up, if you get all those creepers up, you take away the heat, you will have a different city,” he said.

A Perfectionist At The Top

Now, having driven up and down Singapore, I can tell you that that the heat has not exactly gone away. My father used to tell me when he visited Singapore in the seventies that it was just like Madras (Chennai). Hot as hell and humid too. And yet, the greenery does have a calming and maybe cooling effect. Maybe it would be hotter if it were not for the greenery, considering Singapore is closer to the equator than Madras. In any case, Ive never heard anyone really complain about the heat in Singapore.

I am sure over the years, there have been other issues to consider, like pollution, clean drinking water and so on. Each of these civic issues is a case study in itself. So let me close this one with this quote from Lee. “A well kept garden is a daily effort and would demonstrate to outsiders the people’s ability to organize and to be systematic. The grass has got to be mown every other day, the trees have to be tended, the flowers in the garden have to be looked after so they know this place gives attention to detail.”

And that’s why I look at the trees, shrubs and manicured grass as I drive through Singapore. Because I know that they didn’t just happen to be like this. Rather because someone right at the top has been monitoring this effort closely, for over 30 years. A perfectionist who is worth studying, individually and collectively.

(Material On Lee Kuan Yew Largely Sourced From The Aspen Institute Readings)

23 Comments

Anonymous said…
Great post. Thanks.
wicked_sumu said…
nice blog..reminds me of my visit 2 dis tiny but wonderful nation long time bak...

well its known for its cleanliness.. i must add its the small things bout this nation dat really makes it such a great case study...specially for us indians...

for eg. after entering the bathroom in my hotel..i found a note in d shower area to conserve water coz its being imported from Malaysia!!

wow a country dat imports water inspite of being surrounded by it (although saline)

But i beg to differ bout d weather...coz its hot n Humid..

moreover d clean city invites you to take walk thru d streets...

which further complicates things! :)
Anonymous said…
Well, yet another destination for a bollywood movie.

Haven't you seen handsome actors and pretty actresses being taken abroad to make movies because the scenery is beautiful, the architecture is imposing and the road and traffic systems are advanced? Of course, what never gets a mention in the movies and what rarely gets discussed is what it takes to build and maintain that immaculate skyline.
Kavi said…
I remember seeing Lee in NDTV's The World This Week many years back, as a small kid. And his words stuck to me like glue. Something to the effect of

"Even as i am dying, even as you are lowering me into the grave, if i find something wrong, i will get up.."

'If only our..' is a common refrain which the mind runs too. But Lee is towering !
Priya Kumar said…
Great post. reminds me of my visits to S'pore.
Its nice to know the perspective of a globe trotter :O)
Shantanu said…
Hmm...Interesting facts I didn't know before. Good post!
nilesh747 said…
I wish to visit singapore once in life.
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Anonymous said…
Mmmh...hats off to them for keeping their city green & clean. Y we dont learn anything though we know we are running short on natural resources we use them liberally,petrol is expensive still we are not doing carpooling nor are we interested in getting pollution control. Sad!

Riya
great place and great post. Singapore is a dream which cannot be repeated in big countries for various reasons. May be we can draw some inspiration from them for sure.. but are we ready?
Anonymous said…
yeah the water is definitely imported form malaysia.... but did u also know that you can drink the water flowing out of any god damn tap in singapore and u can still be assured of being disease free!!!!

Off late the news was even that now they have started processing water in their own country to cut off the dependence on their (not so) friendly neighbour!!
Weide said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
Weide said…
I live in Singapore; it is a nice and peaceful place to live. Everywhere are trees. However, Singapore is an overcrowded country; every morning when I take the train to school or work, I almost suffocate. Visit my blog to know more about Singapore: http://ngweide.blogspot.com
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