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Punggol: Life by the water

With greenery, waterfront housing and more, Punggol has come far from its days as a rural coastal district in the 1900s

Pedestrians at Punggol Waterway, Singapore's first man-made waterway. The design of the waterway and landscape promenade embraces the area's rich coastal heritage. A boy looking at an upcoming development as the LRT train travels along the Punggol We
The Waterway East and Waterway West Districts were launched in 2010, and about 14,500 build-to-order flats have since been launched. Located in My Waterway @ Punggol, housing developments in Waterway East District, such as Waterway Ridges (left) and Waterway View (right), are characterised by a combination of undulating forms and rustic themes. ST PHOTOS: NEO XIAOBIN
Pedestrians at Punggol Waterway, Singapore's first man-made waterway. The design of the waterway and landscape promenade embraces the area's rich coastal heritage. A boy looking at an upcoming development as the LRT train travels along the Punggol We
Residents hanging out at the rooftop garden at Punggol Waterway Terraces I. ST PHOTOS: NEO XIAOBIN
Residents hanging out at the rooftop garden at Punggol Waterway Terraces I.
Ms Mariam Mohd Said, 30, and her four-year-old son, Ronnie Wong, hunting for crabs at the Punggol Jetty. The family have been living in Punggol for five years, and they visit the beach once or twice a week. ST PHOTOS: NEO XIAOBIN
Pedestrians at Punggol Waterway, Singapore's first man-made waterway. The design of the waterway and landscape promenade embraces the area's rich coastal heritage. A boy looking at an upcoming development as the LRT train travels along the Punggol We
Ms Mariam Mohd Said, 30, and her four-year-old son, Ronnie Wong, hunting for crabs at the Punggol Jetty. The family have been living in Punggol for five years, and they visit the beach once or twice a week. ST PHOTOS: NEO XIAOBIN
Pedestrians at Punggol Waterway, Singapore's first man-made waterway. The design of the waterway and landscape promenade embraces the area's rich coastal heritage. A boy looking at an upcoming development as the LRT train travels along the Punggol We
The Arc Bridge in Punggol Walk is one of many bridges that can be found in Punggol. It is part of the Punggol Waterway Park, which provides plenty of recreational facilities for families and fitness enthusiasts alike to enjoy. ST PHOTOS: NEO XIAOBIN
Pedestrians at Punggol Waterway, Singapore's first man-made waterway. The design of the waterway and landscape promenade embraces the area's rich coastal heritage. A boy looking at an upcoming development as the LRT train travels along the Punggol We
boy looking at an upcoming development as the LRT train travels along the Punggol West Loop. The East Loop opened in January 2005, while the West Loop opened in June 2014. ST PHOTOS: NEO XIAOBIN
Pedestrians at Punggol Waterway, Singapore's first man-made waterway. The design of the waterway and landscape promenade embraces the area's rich coastal heritage. A boy looking at an upcoming development as the LRT train travels along the Punggol We
Old Punggol Road, once the main transportation route for farmers and fishermen plying their wares from Punggol to Serangoon, will be pedestrianised into a 1.5km-long heritage trail. ST PHOTOS: NEO XIAOBIN
Pedestrians at Punggol Waterway, Singapore's first man-made waterway. The design of the waterway and landscape promenade embraces the area's rich coastal heritage. A boy looking at an upcoming development as the LRT train travels along the Punggol We
Pedestrians at Punggol Waterway, Singapore’s first man-made waterway. The design of the waterway and landscape promenade embraces the area’s rich coastal heritage. ST PHOTOS: NEO XIAOBIN
Pedestrians at Punggol Waterway, Singapore's first man-made waterway. The design of the waterway and landscape promenade embraces the area's rich coastal heritage. A boy looking at an upcoming development as the LRT train travels along the Punggol We
KAMPUNG DAYS: A pig farm in Punggol. In 1974, pig farms were relocated there due to the development of the Kranji-Pandan reservoir. Pig farming was eventually phased out and the last 22 farms were shut in 1990. PHOTOS: ST FILE, HDB
Pedestrians at Punggol Waterway, Singapore's first man-made waterway. The design of the waterway and landscape promenade embraces the area's rich coastal heritage. A boy looking at an upcoming development as the LRT train travels along the Punggol We
KAMPUNG DAYS: Matilda house, a 1902 bungalow, is surrounded by LRT tracks and barren land in this picture shot in 2002. The one-time private residence has been restored and is now the clubhouse of condominium A Treasure Trove in Punggol Walk. PHOTOS: ST FILE, HDB
Pedestrians at Punggol Waterway, Singapore's first man-made waterway. The design of the waterway and landscape promenade embraces the area's rich coastal heritage. A boy looking at an upcoming development as the LRT train travels along the Punggol We
KAMPUNG DAYS: Punggol Seafood Restaurant was one of a few seafood eateries located in Punggol Point. The restaurant opened for business in 1969 for 25 years until it moved out in 1994. In 2014, it moved to The Punggol Settlement which offers waterfront dining in a bid to revive the old Punggol to its former glory. PHOTO: NATIONAL LIBRARY BOARD
Sisters Norlydia Rizqa (left, in pink), 5, and Norwana Hawa (centre, in pink), 3, play with balloons at The Plaza @ Waterway Point. ST PHOTO: NEO XIAOBIN
35-year-old Javier Peh (left) with his pet parrots Mystique (blue, on his hand), 2, and four-month-old Marshall (right, red). ST PHOTO: NEO XIAOBIN
Members of the public seen next to fountains outside Waterway Point along the Punggol Waterway, on Aug 24, 2018. ST PHOTO: NEO XIAOBIN
Cyclists dismount and push their bicyles across the Wave Bridge along Punggol Waterway, as neighbourhood centre Oasis Terraces (left) is seen in the background. ST PHOTO: NEO XIAOBIN
Neo Xiaobin Executive photojournalist
Updated
Aug 29, 2018, 03:56 PM
Published
Aug 27, 2018, 05:00 AM
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It wouldn't take much to sum up Punggol back in the early 1900s - poultry, pig-rearing, fishing and fresh produce plus the rubber plantations.

It was as rural as life gets, with farmers, fishermen and traders making a living in the coastal district, traversing the meandering old Punggol Road with their daily harvest.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on August 27, 2018, with the headline Punggol: Life by the water. Subscribe

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