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SINGAPORE: Farmers in the Lim Chu Kang area have sent a petition – with 1,000 signatures – to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, calling for an end to storing granite in their backyard.
The government has explained that storing granite is part of its strategy to ensure that there is an adequate supply of essential building materials to tide the construction industry over in the short term, following Indonesia's ban on granite exports to Singapore.
The granite stockpile, which nearly covers an area of 20 football fields, is located in the Kranji countryside where a variety of fruits and vegetables is produced.
The 20 farmers who form the Kranji Countryside Association are worried that their crops may be affected, despite efforts by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) to reduce dust by erecting a 6-metre high fence around the granite stockpile.
That is why they decided to send their produce, along with the petition, to the prime minister at the Istana, hoping that he could help reverse the decision to store granite in their backyard.
Kenny Eng, Vice-President of Kranji Countryside Association, said: "When we started the petition, we just wanted to see for ourselves whether Singaporeans and tourists felt the same way. Within a short two-and-a-half weeks, we hit 1,000 signatures. It shows that Singaporeans are really concerned."
One of the Singaporeans said: "This is probably the only place (countryside) left in Singapore. So I think the granite should not be placed here."
A tourist said: "The dust and the debris from the concrete, etc could have an effect on the plants."
"It's a great shame; they are trying to get children interested in the environment by teaching them about vegetables. A lot of children should see the sort of landscape that was Singapore before so many buildings went up," another said.
Farmers at Kranji are also worried that the fence around the granite stockpile may prevent sunlight from reaching the farms. They agreed that granite stockpiling is necessary, but they do not want it in their backyard.
But the BCA, which has consulted the farmers, explained that it had already studied possible sites for stockpiling and Lim Chu Kang was selected because it is away from densely built-up urban areas.
BCA also added that due care would be taken to mitigate any negative impact on the environment, which includes having a designated route for trucks, and adequate drainage to discharge rainwater.
- CNA/so
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