Sungei Serangoon is a river

River

A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...

 in the north-eastern

North-East Region, Singapore

The North-East Region of Singapore is one of the five regions in the city-state. It includes seven urban planning areas. As its name implies, it is located in the north-eastern part of Singapore.The land area is about 13,810 hectares....

 part 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...

. The 8-kilometre river starts as a canal

Canal

Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...

 near Tampines Road, and flows through Hougang

Hougang

Hougang is an urban planning area and a suburb in the north-eastern area of the city-state of Singapore. Under classification by the Urban Redevelopment Authority, the area is part of the North-East Region, an urban planning division. Hougang borders Sengkang in the north and Serangoon to its...

, where it is joined by tributary Sungei Pinang just before Sengkang

Sengkang

Sengkang is a sub-urban town in the north-eastern part of Singapore. The Sengkang Planning Area, an urban planning zone under the Urban Redevelopment Authority, covers the Housing and Development Board satellite new town of Sengkang New Town and rural Jalan Kayu.-Etymology and history:Meaning...

, before flowing towards Lorong Halus

Lorong Halus

Lorong Halus is a road leading off the Tampines expressway in north-eastern Singapore. It leads to Serangoon Sludge treatment works and Loyang Agro Technology park . The PUB is planning to create a wetland in lorong halus. The wetland will be located east of Sungei Serangoon...

, where it is joined by another tributary Sungei Blukar, before emptying into the Serangoon Harbour

Serangoon Harbour

Serangoon Harbour is a stretch of water in Singapore between the mainland and Pulau Ubin....

. The river is also known as the Serangoon Estuary.

Ecology

Although sections of the river have been canalized at Hougang and Lorong Halus, wildlife at the river is relatively unaffected. Birds like heron

Heron

The herons are long-legged freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae. There are 64 recognised species in this family. Some are called "egrets" or "bitterns" instead of "heron"....

s, tern

Tern

Terns are seabirds in the family Sternidae, previously considered a subfamily of the gull family Laridae . They form a lineage with the gulls and skimmers which in turn is related to skuas and auks...

s, kingfisher

Kingfisher

Kingfishers are a group of small to medium sized brightly coloured birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species being found in the Old World and Australia...

s can still be found at the river. The area near Lorong Halus is considered one of the best bird-watching spots in Singapore. Monitor lizard

Monitor lizard

Monitor lizards are usually large reptiles, although some can be as small as in length. They have long necks, powerful tails and claws, and well-developed limbs. Most species are terrestrial, but arboreal and semiaquatic monitors are also known...

s and sometimes crocodile

Crocodile

A crocodile is any species belonging to the family Crocodylidae . The term can also be used more loosely to include all extant members of the order Crocodilia: i.e...

s can also be found near the banks.

The stretch of the river near Hougang has a 2.2 km jogging

Jogging

Jogging is a form of trotting or running at a slow or leisurely pace. The main intention is to increase fitness with less stress on the body than from faster running.-Definition:...

 track (known as the Serangoon Park Connector) running along its western bank. Although this stretch is close to residential areas, a variety of garden, grassland and estuarine birds can still be found there.

Future developments

A number of development projects at Sungei Serangoon are ongoing, which include the construction of an overhead bridge linking Old Tampines Road to Sengkang and the opening of a trail at Lorong Halus.

Plans are underway to dam

Dam

A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...

 up the estuary

Estuary

An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....

 of Sungei Serangoon to form a reservoir

Water reservoir

A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...

, to be ready by 2011.