SINGAPORE: Concerned that fallen leaves clogging public drains outside her Siglap landed home would trigger a flood, Madam Koh Swee Keow alerted a National Environment Agency (NEA) representative who oversees the estate.
Three years later, she continued to look out for issues – and her role became more official.
Mdm Koh, who has been living in Siglap for about 30 years, joined NEA’s community auditor programme when it launched in 2020.
The initiative enlists the help of residents across 53 private estates in the country. They help NEA spot check cleaning routes that the agency oversees, including pavements, drains, roads and bus stops.
These residents also keep an eye out for dengue clusters, rat burrows, flood prone areas and littering hotspots.
When NEA asked her whether she wanted to be part of the programme, Mdm Koh said: “My thought was: ‘I’m already doing what this programme wanted the volunteers to do, so why not?’”
“You know Singapore is so clean and green. I just want to play a part. Just to contribute to it, for what I’ve enjoyed all these years,” she added.
Her son’s brush with dengue in 2021, which left him hospitalised, also strengthened her resolve to do more to take care of the environment around her. The disease is transmitted by mosquitoes that breed in stagnant water.
