Last month, we celebrated World Water Day on Mar. 22.

You may have noticed several landmarks in Singapore that were lit up in blue to commemorate this day, which serves to remind everyone that water is a precious resource.

For students at Greenwood Primary School, it’s the work of their seniors that remind them about the importance of water conservation.

Rainwater harvesting system designed by P5 students

Next to the basketball courts, you can find an irrigation rainwater harvesting system that was designed and developed by former Primary 5 students from the Environmental Club.

In 2017, the students attended a workshop to understand the principles behind the rainwater harvesting system before brainstorming and came up with a prototype of the rainwater harvesting system.

With the support from the school, the idea was actualised into a real life rainwater harvesting system.

What does a rainwater harvesting system do?

If you are unfamiliar with rainwater harvesting systems, they are designed to collect rainwater during heavy rainfall and ease the burden on surrounding drainage systems.

The collected water can be reused or released once the ground is no longer saturated.

At Greenwood Primary School, the harvested rainwater is used to water the school's plants using an automatic pump.

The installation of our rainwater harvesting system was an invaluable learning experience for the students, as it taught them about the environmental challenges that Singapore faces.

Even now, it remains an educational space for Greenwood Primary School students to understand the significance and importance of water conservation.

Ongoing green initiatives

The rainwater harvesting system is just an example of the green activities that Greenwood Primary students have led and participated in.

The school’s eco-ambassadors are leading the way in green initiatives.

These students share about global and local environmental challenges with the rest during school assembly to raise awareness and encourage participation in the school’s recycling programmes.

Some are also involved in growing edible crops, learning more about sustainable farming in the process.

You can find out more about the ongoing green initiatives at Greenwood Primary School here:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CkNuKVtyPln/

Top image by Zheng Zhangxin