Geylang Bahru

Last updated
Geylang Bahru
Subzone of Kallang Planning Area
Other transcription(s)
   Malay Geylang Bahru(Rumi)
ݢيلڠ بهرو(Jawi)
   Chinese 芽笼峇鲁(Simplified)
芽籠峇魯(Traditional)
Yálóng Bālǔ(Pinyin)
Gê-láng Bā-ló͘(Hokkien POJ)
   Tamil கேலாங் பாரு
Kēlāṅ pāru(Transliteration)
DT24 Geylang Bahru Exit B.jpg
Exit of Geylang Bahru MRT station at the junction of Geylang Bahru and Kallang Bahru
Coordinates: 1°19′20″N103°52′11″E / 1.32226°N 103.86982°E / 1.32226; 103.86982
CountryFlag of Singapore.svg  Singapore
Region Central Region
Planning Area Kallang
Area
[1]
  Total0.74 km2 (0.29 sq mi)
Population
 (2015) [1]
  Total12,870
  Density17,000/km2 (45,000/sq mi)

Geylang Bahru is a subzone within the planning area of Kallang, Singapore, as defined by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA). It is bounded by the Pan Island Expressway (PIE) in the east; the Pelton Canal in the south; the Kallang River in the west; and Serangoon Road in the north. [2]

Contents

Previously, "Kolam Ayer" encompassed an area that included present-day Geylang Bahru subzone and the adjacent Kallang Way subzone, the latter of which is officially organised under Geylang Planning Area. Several places within Geylang Bahru still retain this name: Kolam Ayer Community Club and Kolam Ayer Neighbourhood Police Post, as well as the road Jalan Kolam Ayer. Made up of both residential and industrial developments, other notable places in Geylang Bahru include the Kallang Basin Swimming Complex, Kallang Distripark, the main office of Jalan Besar Town Council, the office of the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB) and Ministry of Manpower (MOM) Services Centre. Geylang Bahru MRT station along the Downtown Line serves this subzone.

"Geylang Bahru" is also the name of a two-way road in the area. This road connects Bendemeer Road in the north with Upper Boon Keng Road in the south, with major junction located at Kallang Bahru. This road is unique as it is one of the few roads in Singapore to have a name without any generic element. The name of the subzone was derived from this road.

Etymology

The name “Kolam Ayer”, was derived from the Malay phrase "kolam air", which translates to "pond water".

The subzone's current name, "Geylang Bahru", came from a road in the area; "Geylang" is a place in Singapore, now considered a separate planning area from Kallang, while "Bahru" is the old Malay spelling for "baru", meaning "new".

The name "Geylang Bahru" first appeared as a proposed road in a street directory in 1969. [3] It is worth noting that the road marked as "Geylang Bahru" in the 1969 map (and numerous revised editions released in the following years) roughly corresponds to the modern-day Upper Boon Keng Road. By 1975, the road as we call "Geylang Bahru" today was completed.

History

The term "Kolam Ayer" roughly applies to the modern-day subzones of Geylang Bahru and Kallang Way, part of the Kallang and Geylang planning areas respectively.

Before the development of Kallang, Kolam Ayer (as it was known at the time) had numerous Malay kampongs. The precinct was mainly served by a main road called Jalan Kolam Ayer before the 1960s. This road was eventually merged to form part of the present-day Pan Island Expressway (PIE).

During the dredging of the Kallang River in the late 1960s and early 1970s, [4] the Singapore government filled and leveled up the surrounding riverside with red mud that was carried by trucks from a nearby hill called Ang Chiang San (modern-day Toa Payoh). These areas formed what are today Bendemeer, Kallang Bahru and the old Geylang Bahru estate. [5]

  1. 1 2 City Population - statistics, maps and charts | Geylang Bahru
  2. "Singapore's Kallang Planning Area". Archived from the original on 2021-05-12. Retrieved 2018-07-19.
  3. https://hm.onemap.sg
  4. The history of the "Kallang River". Archived from the original on 2016-03-02. by the National Heritage Board
  5. 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 (Singapore)) (Reprint ed.). Singapore: Times Books International. p. 207. ISBN   981232061X.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. The "Kolam Ayer Community". page (SNS) published by Dr. Yaacob and his team
  7. The "Jalan Besar Town Council". official website
  8. The "Active, Beautiful, Clean Waters". (ABC Waters) main page by the Public Utilities Board
  9. The "Kolam Ayer ABC Waterfront". Archived from the original on 2015-12-11. introduction with a map by the Public Utilities Board
  10. "Location of Kolam Ayer Geylang Bahru". People's Association. 3 September 2015. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
Kolam Ayer
Chinese name
Simplified Chinese