Sembawang Hot Spring
Encyclopedia
The Sembawang Hot Spring ' onMouseout='HidePop("44347")' href="/topics/Pinyin">pinyin
: sanbawan wenquan), located at Gambas Avenue between Woodlands
Avenue 12 and Sembawang Road, is the only natural hot spring
on the main island of Singapore
. It lies in a wooded area about 100 metres (328.1 ft) off the main road. The spring is believed by locals to have healing properties, and its water has been bottled commercially by Fraser and Neave
, under the brand name of Seletaris. Since its discovery in 1909, the spring, now on land belonging to a military air base, has gone through several changes of ownership and abortive redevelopment plans. The hot spring is less frequented nowadays but remains a popular venue for weekend visitors.
pioneer Seah Liang Seah, discovered hot springs in his pineapple estate in Sembawang
. The three springs were channelled into one, so that the water would be conveniently concentrated in one area. A well was built along the spring, which became popular with the villagers, who frequently sought the waters for their supposed healing powers. The spring's fame spread, resulting in the village becoming known as Kampong Ayer Panas, which means "Village of Hot Water" in Malay
.
Soft drinks firm Fraser & Neave (F&N) acquired the site in 1922, and set up a bottling plant at nearby Semangat Ayer to tap the mineral water, which they labelled Seletaris. During the Second World War, the spring's flow was temporarily interrupted when a bomb fell near the well during a Japanese
air raid over Singapore in 1942. After Singapore was taken, the Japanese forces built a number of recreational thermal baths in the area.
The hot spring began to be frequented by gamblers in 1960, who took "good luck" baths before the start of horse races. That same year, the villagers started to urge the authorities to develop the area into a spa-like tourist resort. However, F&N shelved the idea after geologists failed to find the source of the spring. In 1967, the idea of the spa surfaced again, when F&N proposed plans for the development of baths, restaurants, a miniature golf course and even a nature reserve. Once again though the plans were not implemented, so the hot spring site remained dilapidated and forgotten.
s (10 acres) of land. Its water-bottling plant survived until the early 1990s however. In January 2002, crowds flocked to the hot spring, which had caught the attention of Singaporeans after the surrounding land had been cleared to begin construction work on the air base extension. Sembawang community leaders gathered signatures to petition Mindef, which was preparing to fence off the area, to preserve and develop the hot spring. Mindef agreed to the appeals and constructed a side gate for the public to gain access to the spring.
During that same year, a rash of scalding cases, including an incident in which a 57-year old diabetic man lost six toes to gangrene
after bathing in the hot spring, prompted the Singapore General Hospital
to warn that people with nerve disorders or diseases affecting blood circulation should stay away. Soon after, rumours that the well was haunted by the ghost of a Malay
boy who had met his death by falling into the boiling spring water began to circulate; a Chinese curse, written in graffiti on the wall that now encloses the well, promised a similar fate to anyone who vandalised the premises. As a result of the negative publicity, and the redevelopment of the area around the spring, public interest began to wane and the number of visitors dwindled.
bushes and high fences to protect the security of the air base. Drainage pipes were also installed. Mindef, which owns the land, allows public access between 7 am and 7 pm daily, at no charge. When the spring reopened, on 1 May 2002, more than 100 people visited the site despite the afternoon drizzle. At the same time, new free-hold condominiums were built in the surrounding area; one of the developments, built by the property arm of F&N in 2001, is called Seletaris after the company's former mineral water.
In July 2005, a Business Times
reader proposed that the relevant authorities should explore the possibility of tapping the geothermal heat that lies many miles under Sembawang—similar to the project in South Australia
's Cooper Basin
—in order to reduce Singapore's reliance on oil and gas. The proposal was not acted upon.
As of 2008, the well can still be seen locked inside a red-brick enclosure with a steel gate, and its heat can be felt outside the building. Numerous plastic chairs, pails and makeshift tubs left by visitors are stored at the perimeter of the compound, which has a makeshift shed in one corner. Caretakers manage the site to ensure its overall cleanliness, although toilets are still lacking on the premises. The hot spring is less frequented nowadays but remains popular at weekends and on public holidays, when regulars and families visit.
. Hot springs are formed when underground water comes into contact with hot rock masses. The resulting high pressure causes the water to seep upwards through cracks, forcing itself out of the ground as a spring.
A series of tests conducted by the PSB Corporation and SGS Testing & Control Services found the spring water contains 420 mg of chloride
per litre, an amount which is substantially higher than the 35 to 100 mg in the water from Choa Chu Kang
and Bedok
waterworks. It was also found that the sulphide content is three times more than tap water and the spring water is also slightly alkaline due to the presence of minerals. This led many to believe that the spring waters have health benefits and thousands flocked to the hot spring, in a search for cures for skin conditions like psoriasis
and acne, as well as debilitating ailments like rheumatism
and arthritis
. Although local rheumatologists conceded that hydrotherapy
is an accepted treatment that can be helpful for mild forms of rheumatism or muscle strain, they, along with dermatologists, remain sceptical of claims about the healing powers of the spring water.
Water bubbles continuously in the well, releasing a slightly unpleasant sulphur
odour together with steam. The temperature of the spring water is around 131 °C (267.8 °F). In an investigation carried out by the Nanyang Technological University
in 1994, the hot spring was found to have an estimated yield of approximately 150 litres (317 US pt) per minute at ground level through installed steel casings.
Pinyin
Pinyin is the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It is also often used to teach Mandarin Chinese and spell Chinese names in foreign publications and used as an input method to enter Chinese characters into...
: sanbawan wenquan), located at Gambas Avenue between Woodlands
Woodlands, Singapore
Woodlands, or the Woodlands New Town , is a suburban town in northern Singapore, part of the North West Community Development Council district...
Avenue 12 and Sembawang Road, is the only natural hot spring
Hot spring
A hot spring is a spring that is produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater from the Earth's crust. There are geothermal hot springs in many locations all over the crust of the earth.-Definitions:...
on the main island of Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. It lies in a wooded area about 100 metres (328.1 ft) off the main road. The spring is believed by locals to have healing properties, and its water has been bottled commercially by Fraser and Neave
Fraser and Neave
Fraser & Neave Limited is a food and beverage, brewing, property and publishing & printing industries conglomerate in Singapore.Listed in Singapore, the group’s subsidiaries and associated companies include Frasers Centrepoint, Asia Pacific Breweries and Times Publishing...
, under the brand name of Seletaris. Since its discovery in 1909, the spring, now on land belonging to a military air base, has gone through several changes of ownership and abortive redevelopment plans. The hot spring is less frequented nowadays but remains a popular venue for weekend visitors.
History
In 1909, a Chinese merchant named Seah Eng Keong, the son of ChineseChinese in Singapore
Chinese Singaporeans are people of Chinese ethnicity who hold Singaporean nationality. As of 2010, Chinese Singaporeans constitute 74.1% of Singapore's resident population, or approximately three out of four Singaporeans, making them the largest ethnic group in Singapore...
pioneer Seah Liang Seah, discovered hot springs in his pineapple estate in Sembawang
Sembawang
Sembawang is an area in the Northern-most portion of Singapore, encompassing the largest land mass within the Sembawang Group Representation Constituency. The incumbent Member of Parliament for the Sembawang Constituency is Khaw Boon Wan. The constituency jurisdiction extends into the Woodlands...
. The three springs were channelled into one, so that the water would be conveniently concentrated in one area. A well was built along the spring, which became popular with the villagers, who frequently sought the waters for their supposed healing powers. The spring's fame spread, resulting in the village becoming known as Kampong Ayer Panas, which means "Village of Hot Water" in Malay
Malay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...
.
Soft drinks firm Fraser & Neave (F&N) acquired the site in 1922, and set up a bottling plant at nearby Semangat Ayer to tap the mineral water, which they labelled Seletaris. During the Second World War, the spring's flow was temporarily interrupted when a bomb fell near the well during a Japanese
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
air raid over Singapore in 1942. After Singapore was taken, the Japanese forces built a number of recreational thermal baths in the area.
The hot spring began to be frequented by gamblers in 1960, who took "good luck" baths before the start of horse races. That same year, the villagers started to urge the authorities to develop the area into a spa-like tourist resort. However, F&N shelved the idea after geologists failed to find the source of the spring. In 1967, the idea of the spa surfaced again, when F&N proposed plans for the development of baths, restaurants, a miniature golf course and even a nature reserve. Once again though the plans were not implemented, so the hot spring site remained dilapidated and forgotten.
Redevelopment
In 1998, The Ministry of Defence (Mindef) acquired the land containing the spring for the expansion of the nearby Sembawang Air Base, leaving F&N with less than 4 hectareHectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
s (10 acres) of land. Its water-bottling plant survived until the early 1990s however. In January 2002, crowds flocked to the hot spring, which had caught the attention of Singaporeans after the surrounding land had been cleared to begin construction work on the air base extension. Sembawang community leaders gathered signatures to petition Mindef, which was preparing to fence off the area, to preserve and develop the hot spring. Mindef agreed to the appeals and constructed a side gate for the public to gain access to the spring.
During that same year, a rash of scalding cases, including an incident in which a 57-year old diabetic man lost six toes to gangrene
Gangrene
Gangrene is a serious and potentially life-threatening condition that arises when a considerable mass of body tissue dies . This may occur after an injury or infection, or in people suffering from any chronic health problem affecting blood circulation. The primary cause of gangrene is reduced blood...
after bathing in the hot spring, prompted the Singapore General Hospital
Singapore General Hospital
The Singapore General Hospital is the largest and oldest hospital in Singapore, of which the foundation of its first building was laid in 1821....
to warn that people with nerve disorders or diseases affecting blood circulation should stay away. Soon after, rumours that the well was haunted by the ghost of a Malay
Malays in Singapore
Malays in Singapore are defined by the Singaporean government using the broader and antiquated "Malay race" concept, rather than modern-day Malay ethnic group. Although Malays have inhabited the area that is now Singapore since the 17th century, most of the Malays in Singapore today are immigrants...
boy who had met his death by falling into the boiling spring water began to circulate; a Chinese curse, written in graffiti on the wall that now encloses the well, promised a similar fate to anyone who vandalised the premises. As a result of the negative publicity, and the redevelopment of the area around the spring, public interest began to wane and the number of visitors dwindled.
Present day
During its peak, up to 1,000 people visited the hot spring at weekends. On 1 March 2002, it was closed for two months while improvement works were carried out to the area around the spring, which had become sodden and muddy. Litter had also become a problem because of the large numbers of visitors. The former dirt track leading to the spring was paved, and lined with bougainvilleaBougainvillea
Bougainvillea is a genus of flowering plants native to South America from Brazil west to Peru and south to southern Argentina . Different authors accept between four and 18 species in the genus...
bushes and high fences to protect the security of the air base. Drainage pipes were also installed. Mindef, which owns the land, allows public access between 7 am and 7 pm daily, at no charge. When the spring reopened, on 1 May 2002, more than 100 people visited the site despite the afternoon drizzle. At the same time, new free-hold condominiums were built in the surrounding area; one of the developments, built by the property arm of F&N in 2001, is called Seletaris after the company's former mineral water.
In July 2005, a Business Times
Business Times (Singapore)
The Business Times of Singapore is an English-language newspaper published since 1 October 1976 . In 1 January 1994, it became the first English-language newspaper in Asia to launch an online news service called Business Times Online. It is part of the Singapore Press Holdings group.-External links:*...
reader proposed that the relevant authorities should explore the possibility of tapping the geothermal heat that lies many miles under Sembawang—similar to the project in South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
's Cooper Basin
Cooper Basin
The Cooper Basin is a sedimentary geological basin in Australia. The basin is located mainly in the north-east part of South Australia and extends into south-west Queensland. It is named after the Cooper Creek which is an ephemeral river that runs into Lake Eyre. Part of the Cooper Basin is...
—in order to reduce Singapore's reliance on oil and gas. The proposal was not acted upon.
As of 2008, the well can still be seen locked inside a red-brick enclosure with a steel gate, and its heat can be felt outside the building. Numerous plastic chairs, pails and makeshift tubs left by visitors are stored at the perimeter of the compound, which has a makeshift shed in one corner. Caretakers manage the site to ensure its overall cleanliness, although toilets are still lacking on the premises. The hot spring is less frequented nowadays but remains popular at weekends and on public holidays, when regulars and families visit.
Water properties
According to local geologists, the exact source of the spring remains unknown, but it is believed that its origin may be southwest of its actual location, possibly at Bukit TimahBukit Timah
Bukit Timah is an area in Singapore and a hill in that area. Bukit Timah is located near the centre of the Singapore main island. The hill stands at an altitude of 163.63 metres and is the highest point in the city-state of Singapore...
. Hot springs are formed when underground water comes into contact with hot rock masses. The resulting high pressure causes the water to seep upwards through cracks, forcing itself out of the ground as a spring.
A series of tests conducted by the PSB Corporation and SGS Testing & Control Services found the spring water contains 420 mg of chloride
Chloride
The chloride ion is formed when the element chlorine, a halogen, picks up one electron to form an anion Cl−. The salts of hydrochloric acid HCl contain chloride ions and can also be called chlorides. The chloride ion, and its salts such as sodium chloride, are very soluble in water...
per litre, an amount which is substantially higher than the 35 to 100 mg in the water from Choa Chu Kang
Choa Chu Kang
Choa Chu Kang is a major residential town and neighbourhood and is a suburban area in the West Region of Singapore...
and Bedok
Bedok
Bedok is a neighbourhood in the eastern part of Singapore. Bedok New Town is the fifth Housing and Development Board new town; its development started in April 1973 and continued over some 15 years....
waterworks. It was also found that the sulphide content is three times more than tap water and the spring water is also slightly alkaline due to the presence of minerals. This led many to believe that the spring waters have health benefits and thousands flocked to the hot spring, in a search for cures for skin conditions like psoriasis
Psoriasis
Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease that appears on the skin. It occurs when the immune system mistakes the skin cells as a pathogen, and sends out faulty signals that speed up the growth cycle of skin cells. Psoriasis is not contagious. However, psoriasis has been linked to an increased risk of...
and acne, as well as debilitating ailments like rheumatism
Rheumatism
Rheumatism or rheumatic disorder is a non-specific term for medical problems affecting the joints and connective tissue. The study of, and therapeutic interventions in, such disorders is called rheumatology.-Terminology:...
and arthritis
Arthritis
Arthritis is a form of joint disorder that involves inflammation of one or more joints....
. Although local rheumatologists conceded that hydrotherapy
Hydrotherapy
Hydrotherapy, formerly called hydropathy, involves the use of water for pain-relief and treating illness. The term hydrotherapy itself is synonymous with the term water cure as it was originally marketed by practitioners and promoters in the 19th century...
is an accepted treatment that can be helpful for mild forms of rheumatism or muscle strain, they, along with dermatologists, remain sceptical of claims about the healing powers of the spring water.
Water bubbles continuously in the well, releasing a slightly unpleasant sulphur
Sulfur
Sulfur or sulphur is the chemical element with atomic number 16. In the periodic table it is represented by the symbol S. It is an abundant, multivalent non-metal. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with chemical formula S8. Elemental sulfur is a bright yellow...
odour together with steam. The temperature of the spring water is around 131 °C (267.8 °F). In an investigation carried out by the Nanyang Technological University
Nanyang Technological University
Nanyang Technological University is one of the two largest public universities in Singapore with the biggest campus in Singapore and the world's largest engineering college. Its lush 200-hectare Yunnan Garden campus was the Youth Olympic Village of the world's first 2010 Summer Youth Olympics in...
in 1994, the hot spring was found to have an estimated yield of approximately 150 litres (317 US pt) per minute at ground level through installed steel casings.