Bedok Reservoir residents worried about impact of deaths
In the last four months, four bodies have been retrieved from Bedok Reservoir and some residents in the area are wondering if more can be done to prevent future occurrences.
Their concerns ranged from the slippery slopes at the park to the impact of these deaths on their property prices, according to residents Yahoo! Singapore spoke to.
The latest case was on Monday, where the Singapore Civil Defence Force retrieved the body of an Indian man who had walked into the reservoir on his own on 8 Oct and refused help from people. The man disappeared into the water and was not found until the morning of 10 October.
A clerk in her 50s, who wanted to be known as Say, said she was more concerned about the people affected by the deaths than park safety.
“But I believe the park can be quite dangerous as it has many slopes. If you slip on the rocky paths, you may just fall into the reservoir,” she added.
Say suggested NParks can consider building barricades around the water body at Bedok Reservoir or step up the frequency of patrols by park rangers.
Some residents have highlighted concerns that the deaths might affect property prices around the area. Property surrounding the reservoir has been largely marketed as waterfront living.
Aida, 23, said potential homebuyers might feel the area could be “dirty”, given the spate of deaths. The nurse added that it is frustrating to have so many deaths at the reservoir and it may tarnish the impression and reputation of Bedok Reservoir.
A taxi driver, who declined to name himself, said the area around the reservoir used to be a populated Malay village. "There could be lurking spirits there," he speculated.
However, in spite of their concerns, none of the six residents Yahoo! Singapore spoke to were worried about the quality of water supplied to their homes.
A 72-year-old retiree Tan said she is not worried because news reports have explained that the water will be treated before it is supplied to homes.
Another resident, Chin, who lives 100 metres from the reservoir, felt additional measures wouldn't help to prevent similar cases from happening in the future.
"The recent cases are suicide cases,not accidents," he pointed out, noting that patrols and barricades can only help so much if the death is intentional.
"If people wish to end their life by drowning themselves at beaches, are we going to barricade the seashore?" he wondered.
Since the highly decomposed lower body of Lin Xiao, 23, had been found at Bedok Resevoir on 20 June, two other bodies had been found. The cause of Lin Xiao’s death is not yet known and his upper body is still missing.
The bodies of mother and son, 32-year-old Tan Sze Sze and 3-year-old Jerald Chin Le Hui was found on 22 Sept. Tan is believed to have committed suicide with her young son at the reservoir .
