'Scattered ashes formed an unsightly pile': Visitor blasts poor upkeeping of Garden of Peace but others say it's well-built

Designed as a space for residents to scatter the ashes of their loved ones, the Garden of Peace is Singapore's first inland ash-scattering garden.

However, one visitor was left disappointed, having expected a peaceful experience. 

Koh Choon Hua took to ST Forum on July 13 to say that the Garden of Peace needed to be "spruced up" after his visit to the facility at Choa Chu Kang Cemetery Complex.

Expressing his grievances, he wrote: "What I saw left me disappointed. The garden certainly did not exude a sense of peace – the greenery and infrastructure were not well-maintained, and the prayer facility was fairly undeveloped."

He also pointed out that there were no shelters for protection against the sun or rain. 

Koh also mentioned that he saw scattered ashes left on the ground, forming an "unsightly pile".

Suggesting that the use of watering cans to percolate the ashes was ineffective, Koh wrote: "The National Environment Agency (NEA) should consider having a running stream instead."

AsiaOne visited the Garden of Peace on the same day at around 3pm and saw no visitors at the location.

There were also sounds of ongoing construction work. 

Out of the four ash-scattering lanes provided, two lanes had 'Under maintenance' signs blocking off the area.

In addition to the ash-scattering lanes, a prayer facility was also provided for visitors to conduct simple rites. 

NEA has stated on its website that to maintain a clean and serene environment and the secular nature of the garden, religious ceremonies or rites, such as the burning of joss sticks, food offerings, playing of instruments or music, will not be permitted within the garden.

A small pavilion situated at the entrance provided shade, while the walkways and seating areas were not sheltered.

The walkways were clean and there were no ashes spotted on the ground. 

A maintenance worker told AsiaOne that he is assigned to wash the walkways about three times a week. 

When asked why there were no visitors on a Thursday afternoon, he said: "It can get crowded, but it is mostly [during] weekday mornings and Saturdays."

AsiaOne also spoke with a woman who visited the Garden of Peace with her family at around 4.30pm.

Mrs Tay, 51, shared that her mother had recently died and that the Garden of Peace was the choice of place to scatter her late mother's ashes.

Tay and her family were seen watering the bed of pebbles in memory of her mother. 

They also placed a bouquet of flowers, a card and a glass of wine on the ledge where the mother's ashes were scattered.  

Tay mentioned that since her mother's death, she regularly visits the Garden of Peace and stays for about 15 minutes.

Before her death, Tay's mother opted to have her ashes scattered at the Garden of Peace. Tay said: "I am happy my mother chose this place. It is really peaceful."

She added: "The place is well maintained, and there are proper facilities such as the watering cans, offered for visitors to scatter the ashes of their loved ones in a respectful manner."

Despite the lack of shelter, Tay feels that the Garden of Peace is well-built.

In response to AsiaOne's queries, the NEA said: "We wish to assure Mr Koh that we will continue to upkeep our facilities and look into the suggestions to enhance the experience of users and visitors".

Maintenance of landscaping and infrastructure are regularly carried out at the Garden of Peace to provide a conducive and clean environment for visitors, said Pun Wui-Mei, Director of Memorial Facilities and Planning Division at NEA.

Sprinklers are also activated at the end of the day to enable the ashes to percolate into the soil and allow the ashes to be returned to the earth.

The second ash-scattering facility, Garden of Serenity, at the Mandai Crematorium and Columbarium Complex is in development and is expected to open in 2025. 

ashwini.balan@asiaone.com

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