Who'll stop littering by the river?

[Here is a sad example of exploiting the headlines for a less serious issue.]

Jun 30, 2010

THE tragic death of the young man who fell into the Singapore River after a drinking binge, as well as the recent floods, highlights the problem of littering along our waterways.

[You would be led to think that the young man who drowned must have slipped on litter and fell into the river. An image in my mind of the drunken youth slipping on a carelessly tossed beer bottle, and fallling into the river is created.]

Far too many groups of people gather along the banks of the Singapore River, especially on Friday and Saturday nights, and consume vast quantities of alcohol and food.

[So not only are they drunk, but they are gluttonous, as well. Revise image in mind. Replace youth with drunken FAT youth.]

Even comparatively quieter areas of the riverside, such as the stretch between Saiboo Street and Kim Seng Road, resemble 'war zones' on Saturday and Sunday mornings with drink bottles, cans, food scraps and plastic bags fouling the banks, bridges and river.

[Revise image in mind. Now drunken FAT youth is picking his way amidst the "war zone" of litter, BUT steps on a "land mine" of a beer bottle anyway!]

Obviously, the security staff of the condominiums and hotels that line the river do not have the authority to ask these revellers to move on or clean up after themselves.

[Okay. Not sure what this point is. Was the falling in the river witnessed by a hapless condo security guard?]

Rampant littering will undoubtedly cause drainage problems, especially when heavy rain coincides with high tide.

[Wait a minute! So was the FAT youth's body found trapped in some culvert thus causing flooding in Orchard Road?]

If vandalism attracts an automatic punishment of caning, surely littering calls for severe penalties.

Not only are we rapidly losing the distinction of being among the cleanest cities in the world, but we are also exposing ourselves to flood risks which severely impact the economy.

[Right. So we want to hang onto our reputation as having one of the harshest laws in a democratic country, as well as being the cleanest city, and also one of the most economically vibrant. Now if the writer can somehow tie in our Housing shortage, COE prices, Immigration policies, and CPF for retirement to this drowning, we would have the unified theory of what makes Singapore work.]

Jairam Amrith

[I am amazed at the logic that can flow from one man's drowning to litter. Actually the poor guy's death has nothing to do with litter, other than the fact that he might have contributed to the litter before he died. But he would be consoled that he did not die in vain. At least in his death, he offered Mr Amrith a chance for irrelevant hyperbole.]

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