SINGAPORE, April 6 — Singapore’s National Parks Board (NParks) announced yesterday that the Chek Jawa Wetlands in Pulau Ubin has reopened for public access, after it was closed from an oil spill on Thursday.
“To prevent any further impact, we will let the oil residue at the affected areas at Chek Jawa Wetlands break down naturally, and will continue to monitor the biodiversity-sensitive areas closely.
“The booms that were pre-emptively placed at Chek Jawa Wetlands will also be progressively removed,” NParks said in a statement.
However, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) said yesterday that one fish farm, De Kelong, was more significantly affected by the spill.
On Friday, Singaporean authorities announced clean-up efforts along the shorelines of Changi and Pasir Ris, following an oil spill at Langsat Terminal in Johor.
NParks previously said no visible impact on wildlife has been observed at Chek Jawa Wetlands, Changi Beach Park, and Pasir Ris Park so far from the incident.
Its National Development Minister Desmond Lee said on Friday that light oil sheen was observed at parts of Chek Jawa Wetlands, with the Mangrove Boardwalk being the main affected area.
“Thankfully, the intertidal areas are largely unaffected. No oil sheen was observed at the beaches (Main Village, Ketam, Mamam) and bridges (Jelutong, Noordin, Puaka) at Pulau Ubin,” he posted on Facebook.
Malaysia’s Department of Environment reported that the oil leak had been successfully contained by Thirsday, with ongoing monitoring of the situation.
The department also stated that approximately 1.6 cubic metres (1,600 litres) of oil had spilled into the sea.
