Water quality monitoring (WQM) workshop for Sengkang Floating Wetland

Below is a copy of the invitation sent out to MOE teachers.



Dear Educators,


We would like to invite you and your teachers to attend PUB’s Water Quality Monitoring Workshop:

Admission is free and course materials and equipments will be provided. Teachers will also receive a complimentary copy of the book,“ Your First Guide To Water Quality Monitoring in Singapore”, written by Mr Kwok Chen Ko in collaboration with PUB and the NTUC Water Education Fund.

This course is suitable for

 Science teachers, Green Club teachers and teachers interested in environmental or field work

 Teachers who are interested in conducting Water Quality Monitoring with students.

 Any teachers with a passion for the environment!


Trainer
Mr Kwok Chen Ko, Environmental Science lecturer from Singapore Polytechnic.

Course objectives

To introduce importance of water quality in the environment and how water quality monitoring can be carried out. At the end of the course, teachers will be able to:

(a) Appreciate the importance of water quality to the health of the environment.

(b) Explain how several fundamental water quality parameters interact with aquatic life.

(c) Perform field sampling of water.

(d) Perform water analyses in the field and classroom.


Topics covered

1. The types of freshwater systems in Singapore

2. What is water quality?

3. Important water quality parameters

4. The art of water sampling

5. The science of water analysis

6. How to conduct sampling, analysis and collection of water in the field.


Programme outline
The workshop consists of a classroom lecture followed by field work at the nearby Sengkang Floating Wetland.


Time Activity

1:00 PM – 1:30 PM Registration of participants

1:30 PM – 2:30 PM Lecture session:

-Introduction to Water Quality Monitoring in Singapore

- Water quality monitoring parameters

2:30 PM – 4:30 PM Practical session:

-Practical water quality testing exercise at Sengkang Floating Wetland

4:30 PM – 5:30 PM Debriefing session


Admission is limited to the first 20 participants only, so do register by 4 November 2011.

For registration please contact:

Ms Farah’ Ain Niza
Email: Farahain_Niza_Md_Tamren@pub.gov.sg
Tel no : 6731 3274

Water quality monitoring workshop for CUGE

I had the opportunity to conduct an inaugural water quality monitoring (WQM) workshop for CUGE (Centre for urban greenery and ecology). The participants were mostly Nparks staff. Before this, I had only worked with MOE teachers and students in my WQM courses.


It was indeed an eye opener. With their outdoor experience, my field trip became a non-issue. No complaints about the mozzies, the mud or the weather.

In fact, I dare say this field trip to Ngee Ann Stream was my most challenging. A huge tree has fallen over the path I normally took my participants. There was no clear path through it or around it. Fortunately, a hardy participant (L) came forward to blaze a trail through the fallen tree while I was wondering whether the rest were able to handle such bashing through. Reminding myself these were Nparks staff, everyone came through without a scratch despite the big ants scrambling all over the branches in protest of our intrusion. A few other “garang” types helped to clear the trail as L and I took the lead in our trailblazing.

Because of the wet weather earlier in the day, the canal was flooded. Usually a convenient way to cover ground, the canal became out of bounds. Since these guys and ladies were as good as I thought they were, I decided to do another round of bashing through a patch of tall grasses. Since these were only grasses (not trees or shrubs), I used my handy walking stick to sweep the blockage aside. Problem solved.

Though most of the participants have no chemistry background, they were thrilled with trying out the water testing kits back in our classroom. Designed for field work and hence simple to operate, most participants took an instant familiarity with the kits’ usage. In fact, they were more than enthusiastic to stay after 5p.m. to finish their water testing with the kits. It is always a pleasure to observe students with a passion to learn and experiment.

Figure: My favourite monitoring station along Ngee Ann Stream. A good shady spot for the participants to rest after the "gruelling" hike through tall grasses and steep slopes. Notice the tall grasses in middle - we had to bash through those after this station.

Figure: This canal is normally dry with only a small flow in the centre. On this day, an earlier rain has made the canal impassable. Even the participant has to collect a water sample on the steps. Not for school students.

Figure: Using water testing kits back in the classroom

Figure: Participants putting up their water quality data for all to see and compare.

Figure: Bug hunting and identification at Chinese Garden

Figure: We had the rare chance of checking out what Chinese Garden has implemented its admirable efforts to go green. This is a phytoremediation project to treat and reuse grey water from a toilet's sinks.


Update: Here is the link for a write-up of the workshop on CUGE' website
http://www.cuge.com.sg/October-2011 > 04 Oct 2011 - A Fun and Enriching Hands-on Experience Sampling and Testing Water

New book: Your first guide to water quality monitoring in Singapore

More than a year in the making, my labour finally paid off in the form of my new book "Your first guide to water quality monitoring in Singapore". Available to PUB's partner schools, schools interested in water quality monitoring and government agencies, please contact the following PUB staff for more details on getting a copy.

Ms Nora Farhain (senior officer): nora_farhain_hamim@pub.gov.sg

 Figure: Front cover of the book

Figure: Back cover of the book

Excerpt from SP Website:
Mr Kwok Chen Ko from SP's School of Chemical & Life Sciences has written a book for the Public Utilities Board (PUB). Titled "Your first guide to water quality monitoring in Singapore", the book was presented at the opening of the Punggol and Serangoon Reservoirs on 3 July.


Water is fast becoming the coolest (and hottest) topic in the 21st century, as people learn more about the importance of water quality, and schools embark on various water-related projects. Chen Ko's book is a boost to the local environmental education scene, providing a no-frills guide to the basics of water quality. Designed for teachers and students in mind, it allows the readers to understand more about water quality monitoring programmes and even how to design one themselves!


As for the idea behind his book, Chen Ko said it stemmed from his vision of implementing a citizen-based approach to monitoring the waterways of Singapore, which is widely done in other countries, but had not quite taken off in ours.


"When I first started my first water quality monitoring in 2006, there was simply no guide for reference on such a topic in Singapore. I gathered whatever information I could from the Internet, books and journals and dived right into it," said Chen Ko.


After five years of water monitoring work and research, Chen Ko felt ready to impart his knowledge and experiences to a wider audience by writing this book.