Restoring Derelict Land

In Singapore, there were mining activities in the past, as seen in the disused granite quarries in Bukit Timah, Bukit Batok and Pulau Ubin. We can also imagine what a mining activity is like by looking at the digging done in a construction site. As excavations proceed at the site, the bare soil and rocks beneath the land surface resemble that of a quarry or a mine. When mining operations cease, restorations and works are necessary. This is becauserain would wash the soilheaps down the slope, causing more erosion along the way. A heavy downpour may even cause landslides. At times, mining pools are formed by rainwater gathering in the disused quarries.

DERELICT land can be made useful if its reclaimed. An example of derelict land is a disused quarry. The mining pools in such quarries can be:

i) filled up completely with non-toxic waste

ii) treated with acidic substances like gypsum

iii) replanted with vegetation to protect the soil from wind and rain to prevent furthur soil erosion

iv) filled with water to form lakes

Some mining pools that have been made into venues for recreational purposes are Taiping Lake in Perak, Malaysia and Little Guilin in Bukit Batok, Singapore. Most recently in 2006, the Selangor State Government in Malaysia is turning former mining pools into fishing venues.