Transportation in Singapore

 Transport in Singapore is rather efficient and well planned. Not considering the recent MRT breakdowns, it takes a short period of time to travel from one place to another in Singapore. This is because Singapore is small and we have an efficient transport system with forms of transports such as the MRTs, buses, cars and taxis. This also means that we take a relatively short time to travel.

If you compare our transportation system to a much bigger country such as China as mentioned in the previous article, our country has a more efficient system. One main factor is because it is smaller. The second is because the Singapore government spends a large sum of capital to invest on the forms of transport, like catering more frequent bus services that comes at shorter intervals.

Also, as Singapore is a small country which lacks land area, we manage this problem by digging underground or making raised platforms to cope with the insufficient space to build our forms of transports like the MRT. However, this requires a large level of capital and constant maintenance work to be done. Seeing the previous issue about the breakdowns of the MRT, this means that proper maintenance and precautionary measures were not well thought of and thus arousing this problem.

If a transport breaks down, work, school and other activities will be delayed. The long term effect of this is the going down of the economy as people will start work late, meaning, being less productive and efficient. Without the functioning of such transports, our daily lives in this face paced society will definitely be greatly affected. 

Transportation in China

I have been to China many times and thus, I’m commenting on their form of transport and the efficiency of the transportation. With reference to our next topic^^

In more developed places like Shanghai, they have many forms of transports such as buses, taxis… but the most efficient one would be the maglev train. The train line was designed to connect Shanghai Pudong International Airport and the outskirts of central Pudong where passengers could interchange to the Shanghai Metro to continue their trip to the city center. It can go up to 430km/h. This enables people to get to travel from shanghai to their destination in the shortest time possible. This is much better than travelling by bus which will probably take more than 5 hours. Thus, this use of technology for the maglev train is very efficient.

However, some places that are not that advanced such as Guiling, China and many other places do not have the maglev train, or other forms of transport that uses high technology to make travelling more efficient. This causes a longer time to reach the destination. When I was in Guiling, we had to take a bus ride for about 9 hours to reach the other side of the town.( with occasional toilet breaks ofcourse). The ride was for very long hours and was uncomfortable as the bus seats were rather hard, unlike those in Singapore. If they built the maglev train, or any other form of a faster transport around that area, it would be more efficient as would take a shorter time.

Also, in Wuyishan, China, we sat a train towards Fujian, China. That train ride took 6 hours and again, it was again an uncomfortable ride with the train going at an unexpectedly slow speed and many China guys were smoking. The train was also packed with many people. If there were uses of more advanced technology, there would be a greater improvement with regards to the efficiency.

Due to China's large population, sometimes the current numbers of vehicles cannot meet every person's needs. Especially during the public holidays, most people choose to travel. Some of them take excursions, whilst other people go to their hometown to see their families. During peak holiday times the transportation system may be stretched too the limit. Additionally, as the Chinese urban population is getting larger, some big cities are facing very severe transportation stress. To mange these problems, the government should invest high levels of capitals into constructing a more efficient transport system in certain areas to China. Doing this is not just about efficiency, but to improve tourist numbers and the convenience of the residents. 

Regarding Nicole & Cherie's post on Agricultural seasons on India.

I'm not sure why but i cant seem to comment on Nicole & Cherie's blog post, oh well i shall type i want to say here. While reading their article about the agricultural seasons in India, and especially the Rabi season, i thought of these questions:
Does it mean that during the North-East Monsoon will be drier, as in the climate? Why does crops like wheat, barley, gram, mustard or linseed grow well even with less water?
Therefore i did a little research :)
The North-East monsoon is drier as there could be a delay in the onset and cessation of a monsson period. For the secong question, i cant really find the answer :(

Reflections on the Circle line & North-south line

Just a few days ago, Ms J posted about the delay in the train lines and i would like to share my thoughts about it. Regarding the circle line distruption, which happened in the morning peak hour when everyone was on their way to work. There was about 1,400 passengers affected in this inconvenience and a lot of people reached work late as the train took about 45 mins to restore back to it's original state. This shows the importance of land transport in our country, and our people are so dependent on it and we cannot do without it if there are any problems are distruptions. The shows the 'inter-relationship' between the land transport and us, humans living in Singapore. This is also the same for the break-down in the North-south line, which actually took a longer time to get back on the tracks due to a power rail problem.

Hongkong Wetland Park

Hong Kong Wetland Park is a conservation, education and tourism facility, located at the northern part of Tin Shui Wai, in Yuen Long. It was to be an ecological mitigation area for the wetlands lost due to Tin Shui Wai New Town development. The Hong Kong Wetland Park comprises a 10,000-square-metre (110,000 sq ft) visitor centre, Wetland Interactive World, and a 60-hectare (150-acre) Wetland Reserve. The Wetland Interactive World has themed exhibition galleries, a theatre, a souvenir shop, an indoor play area (swamp adventure) and a resource centre.
In the wetland park, there is a small star there. Pui Pui is a crocodile's name, which is a pun indicating that it came from Shan Pui River and is the apple of the public's eye. On 29 August 2006 she was moved into her landscaped enclosure and can be easily viewed by the public. Pui Pui’s Home was designed to provide the reptile with a healthy and comfortable living environment.
When i went to the HongKong Wetland Park during the March holidays, i felt that the place was quite interesting. Some things i learnt about the mangroves when i was there, is that the mangrove's fruit is pointing downwards. When the fruit drops and the seeds will start growing, the seeds will remain rooted to the ground, therefore the new plant can grow well. The leaves also have waxy surfaces for the water to slide off, like we learnt.
Over there, i also witnessed some cool insects/animals that cannot be found in Singapore, in the exhibition galleries. I felt that the exhibition galleries were filled with interesting information about different animals and insects in the Wetland Park.

Plantation agriculture

Plantation agriculture is a commercial tropical agriculture system which is essentially export-oriented. The local government exploit the natural resources for making profit, usually short-term economic gain. It often involves the deliberate introduction and cultivation of economically desirable species of tropical plants at the expense of widespread replacement of the original native and natural flora. They are often associated with plantation agriculture are widespread modifications or disturbance of the natural landscapes through such artificial practices as the permanent removal of natural vegetation, drainage improvement, soil improvement and application of chemicals, etc.
The inputs of plantation agriculture are that large areas of land are needed for growing, there must be abudant labour, high levels of capital, and supporting facilities aroung the plantation like roads, factories, housing and irrigagtion canals.
The factors that determine the plantation agriculture success or failure are:
1. Natural disasters
- As the crops are grown according to their type in one plot of land, if there are natural disasters, all the crops of that type will die.
The crops are also in a open area, making it more vulnerable.
2.Demand for crop
- Some crops are in higher demand than others, therefore this depends on the consumers preferance.
3. Market and advertising
- Some consumers may not be aware of certain products, and they might not buy them. Therefore, marketing and advertising is important so that the consumers will be aware of new products.

Eutrophication

Eutrophication is the ecosystem response to the addition of artificial or natural substances, such as nitrates and phosphates, through fertilizers or sewage, to an aquatic system. One example is the "bloom" or great increase of phytoplankton in a water body as a response to increased levels of nutrients. Negative environmental effects include hypoxia, the depletion of oxygen in the water, which induces reductions in specific fish and other animal populations.

Eutrophication can be human-caused or natural. Untreated sewage effluent and agricultural run-off carrying fertilizers are examples of human-caused eutrophication. However, it also occurs naturally in situations where nutrients accumulate or where they flow into systems on an ephemeral basis. Eutrophication generally promotes excessive plant growth and decay, favouring simple algae and plankton over other more complicated plants, and causes a severe reduction in water.Eutrophication also decreases the value of rivers, lakes, and estuaries for recreation, fishing, hunting, and aesthetic enjoyment.