LAND RECLAMATION IN SINGAPORE AND ITS ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

Abstract

The history of reclamation in Singapore dates back much earlier than the establishment of the Republic of Singapore in 1965. According to official records, the first reclamation exercise was carried out in 1822, in the area, which is known today as South Boat Quay, during the British rule [Lim Tin Seng, 2014].

Since the formation of the Republic of Singapore, a significant portion of land has been reclaimed in Singapore, which is often referred as a little red dot on the map due to its small physical size.

Since Singapore lacks natural resources, land has become one of the most important resource for Singapore. Hence, the Singapore government has proactively implemented land reclamation as a viable and meaningful long-term strategy to support the evelopment efforts over the years. Such a strategy combined with political stability, sound economic and environmental policies, strengthening of human capital and supporting factors have enabled Singapore to progress well on the path of securing prosperity and world-class infrastructure. In order to continually support its growth, Singapore has embarked on a plan to reclaim an additional 5600 ha of land by Year 2030. That will increase Singapore’s land mass by about 25% since 1822. [SBR, 2013]

Considering the above-mentioned plan, there is a need to study land reclamation in a holistic way. To this end, this study report provides comprehensive insights into the process of reclamation works from the design approach to execution on site, including improvements in technologies that may allow for the shortening of the reclamation timeframe. It also presents the key considerations relating to reclamation works in the context of historical, contemporary and future perspectives, and identifies recommendations to eliminate minimize or mitigate the underlying challenges pertaining to environment, ecosystems and livelihood of people in Singapore.

Based on the studies, it is proposed that sound policies and their execution during conceptualizing, planning, subsequent site work and post reclamation project must be implemented for the successful implementation of the land reclamation 4 works. There are multitudes of inter winding considerations such as method of reclamation, materials of seawalls and dykes, requirements for EIA and publication of the data, monitoring of seawater quality etc. Arising from sea level rise due to climate change, the reclamation works should also consider the global and local factors and incorporate measures to address this risk.

It is proposed that where the tangible and intangible benefits outweigh the environmental and ecological concerns, Singapore should continue to pursue reclamation projects at politically non-sensitive sites to avoid disputes with neighboring countries, while making use of new technologies, effective public communications, and all other efforts to eliminate, minimize or mitigate such impacts and reputation damage – while balancing the interests of the nation. A fine example is the way Singapore government decided to relocate the coral colonies from Tuas to the offshore islands.

The study report will be useful to policy makers, developers, architects, engineers, contractors, academics and other professionals.