You always hear people say, “Singapore is so clean!” But… is it really that clean all the time?
During a recent Service Day hosted by Pinterest, I joined the Waterways Watch Society to help cleaning the Singapore River. Our mission is to hunt down and fish out all the unwanted treasures floating in the water. We set sail from Merdeka Bridge, cruised down to Raffles Place, and also explored the waters around Kallang.
Now brace yourself. Even though the river looked clean at first glance, we still found soft drink cans, milk bottles, and…. an unused pillow. Maybe someone really said, “You know what? This river needs better sleep.” 😴
But the most concerning thing we saw? Illegal fishing activities. Some people just left their bait and sharp tools lying around. Not only is that irresponsible, it’s also dangerous. Imagine a poor kayaker gliding peacefully, only to be ambushed by rogue fishing hooks. Not exactly the Singapore tourism ad vibe.
This whole experience was a wake-up call for me. I used to take Singapore’s cleanliness for granted, but now I see it differently. Cleanliness is not just a given, it’s a team effort. It’s a habit. A shared responsibility.
So from now on, I’m making it my mission to keep our spaces clean. Gonna start by reminding my family. And maybe even that one friend who thinks littering a tissue is “not a big deal.”
Let’s keep Singapore clean, together!
