The "UWCSEA Swamp"

UWCSEA Dover, 139654

UWCSEA Dover is setting the precedent for environmental sustainability and water conservation. Since the establishment of UWC Dover, in 1971, it has been working towards promoting global sustainability along with establishing independent organisations working towards sustainability, both within our campus and externally. Students attend conferences regarding sustainability and use their voice to advocate for global peace and global conservation of resources.

In 2015, UWC Dover had created what is known as a water retention pond, the main function of this pond is to delay the rainwater coming down into our main drain (prevents overflow of water). The best way to imagine this swamp is as a bathtub which collects run-off water. There is a small plug on the other side of the collection area so this delays and slows down the draining of the water.

In simpler terms, this small valley in our UWC garden is a flood water detention pond. It has been specifically engineered and designed to hold excess rainwater (run-off water) from our buildings during large storms. As Singapore is renowned for excessive thunderstorms, this pond is perfectly engineered for our conditions! This area was once a grassy ditch but has been landscaped into an attractive wetland habitat that also is enhancing our biodiversity on campus.

This swamp enables us not to flood the roads and our campus and allows us to maximise the usage of rainwater. But how does this swamp really work? It is classified as a flood prevention mechanism and, as UWC is a sustainable force, is working towards meeting the UNSDG 6, 11 and 15.

  

The UWC Swamp utilises biomimicry (the science of using nature's existing designs to fix issues prevalent in society) and works like a natural wetland. An example of a natural wetland is a swamp and this is the genesis of the nickname "UWC Swamp". This swamp slows down the discharge of water to the drains; the narrow diameter of the discharge pipes enables the pond to be able to hold over 200 cubic meters of water at a time.

UWC Swamp Function Diagram

As mentioned before, this mechanism is perfect for Singapore. Not only does Singapore have a thunderstorm a day, but it is also one of the most rapidly developing countries in the world. However, as Singapore has developed, there are more and more impermeable surfaces (ie. rooftops and play areas) being erected. These surfaces are not allowing the rainwater to sink slowly into the ground (and soil) and, instead, this rainwater is running off too quickly into drains causing the increased threat of floods. This swamp is also perfect for UWC Dover as the stormwater from our Dover area has already caused flood buildups on the AYE (Ayer Rajah Express), these floods have caused serious traffic threats and many safety concerns. This flood prevention system (detention pond) decreases the flood risk exponentially.

The UWC Swamp is also a parable for bio-diversity as another feature of this swamp is that it allows for more biodiversity in our school's microclimate. The swamp celebrates and increases local bio-diversity as the flowers within attract indigenous birds, animals and insects! Biodiversity depletion is a pressing issue in our day and age, this Swamp works towards enhancing the biodiversity to enable cultivation and safe-keeping of indigenous organisms.

UWCSEA is not only known for it's mission statement but for it's impressive push for sustainability. To read more about how UWC is working towards simple steps to conserve water, click here!

Written by Yash Mahajan