Geylang Bahru

Geylang Bahru
Subzone of Kallang
Other transcription(s)
• Chinese	芽笼巴鲁 芽笼峇鲁
• Pinyin	Yálóng Bālǔ
• Malay	Geylang Baru
• Tamil	கேலாங் பாரு
Country	Singapore
Region	Central Region
Town	Kallang
Area[1]
• Total	0.74 km^2 (0.29 sq mi)
Population (2015)[1]
• Total	12,870
• Density	17,000/km^2 (45,000/sq mi)

Geylang Bahru (Chinese: 芽笼巴鲁, Tamil: கேலாங் பாரு) is a subzone located in the town of Kallang in the Central Region of Singapore.^[2] While this area was well-known and previously named as Kolam Ayer based on its regional history, the subzone received its current appellation after it was renamed by the Urban Redevelopment Authority in 2014.

Once completed, the future Geylang Bahru MRT Station will serve the precinct.

Etymology

Before it received its current name, the precinct was previously known as “Kolam Ayer”. The name was derived from the Malay phrase "kolam air", which means "water pond" in English.

History

Before the development of Kallang, Kolam Ayer (as it was known at the time) had many malay kampongs located within its vicinity. The precinct was mainly served by Jalan Kolam Ayer before the 1960s, which eventually merged to form part of the present-day Pan Island Expressway.

During the dredging of the Kallang River in the late 1960s and early 1970s,^[3] the Singapore government filled and leveled up the surrounding river side with red mud that was carried by lorries from a nearby hill called Ang Chiang San (now present-day Toa Payoh). These areas formed what are today Bendemeer, Kallang Bahru and the old Geylang Bahru estate.^[4]

Kolam Ayer
Chinese name
Simplified Chinese	哥南亚逸
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Gēnán Yàyì Yue: Cantonese Jyutping go1 naam3 ngaa3 jat6 Southern Min Hokkien POJ Ko-lām A-ıt
Malay name
Malay	Kolam Ayer
Tamil name
Tamil	கோலம் ஆயெர்

In 1976, both Kallang Bahru estate, Geylang Bahru estate and the initial Kolam Ayer area were merged to form the new Kolam Ayer subzone. Since then, the precinct was managed by the Kolam Ayer Community Club and the People's Action Party Kolam Ayer Branch.^[5]

After the 1980's, the Jalan Besar Town Council had established and located its office in Kallang Bahru, which was renamed for Moulmein-Kallang in 2011-2015 when the connective GRC arrangement had been revised.^[6]

In April 2008, the Kolam Ayer ABC Waterfront was officially opened to the public as the first project under the Active, Beautiful, Clean Waters programme handled by Public Utilities Board.^[7][8]

In 2014, the Urban Redevelopment Authority released their 2014 Master Plan, which saw significant modifications to the names of certain subzones. The master plan indicated that Kallang Bahru had been arranged as an individual subzone and as such, remained associated with the Kolam Ayer Kallang Bahru Residents' Committee.^[9] A large portion from the old Kolam Ayer subzone, remained to form the new Geylang Bahru subzone. As a result, Geylang Bahru eventually became associated with the newly formed Kolam Ayer Geylang Bahru Residents' Committee.^[10]

References

1. City Population - statistics, maps and charts | Geylang Bahru
2. The "2014 Master Plan" (PDF). by the Urban Redevelopment Authority, which is cited as a reference source in the Population Trends 2015 report by the Department of Statistics Singapore
3. The history of the "Kallang River". by the National Heritage Board
4. Tan Khoon Yong (Chinese: 陈军荣) (2001). "二：五龙汇星洲之【南龙】". 新加坡地形风水：五龙汇星洲 (in Chinese) (Reprint ed.). Singapore: Times Books International. p. 207. ISBN 981232061X.
5. The "Kolam Ayer Community". page (SNS) that published by Dr. Yaacob and his team
6. The "Jalan Besar Town Concil". official website
7. The "Active, Beautiful, Clean Waters". (ABC Waters) main page by the Public Utilities Board
8. The "Kolam Ayer ABC Waterfront". introduction with a map by the Public Utilities Board
9. The "Location of Kolam Ayer Kallang Bahru". that was updated by the People's Association on 03 Sep 2015
10. The "Location of Kolam Ayer Geylang Bahru". that was updated by the People's Association on 03 Sep 2015