JTC to reclaim 44ha of land to expand Woodlands Checkpoint
JTC Corporation and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority said about 34ha of land will be reclaimed on the western side of the Causeway linking Malaysia and Singapore, and 10ha on the eastern side
About 44ha of land will be reclaimed as part of works to expand the Woodlands Checkpoint – a smaller area than what was initially studied, so as to minimise the impact on the environment. JTC Corporation and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said about 34ha of land will be reclaimed on the western side of the Causeway linking Malaysia and Singapore, and 10ha on the eastern side.
An environmental impact assessment (EIA) conducted by JTC had studied a larger reclamation area – 36.4ha on the western side and 30.2ha on the eastern end. The size of the area has been reduced to 44ha – the size of more than 60 football fields – to minimise the environmental impact of reclamation work, said the agencies in response to queries. This will also maximise the distance between the Mandai Mangrove and Mudflat nature park and reclaimed land on the western side.
Reclamation is tentatively scheduled to start in the third quarter of 2024 and slated to be completed by 2029. Works on the western side will be conducted in two phases and take about five years to complete. The smaller eastern side will take about three years and four months. The redeveloped Woodlands Checkpoint is expected to span about 95ha – almost five times the size of the current 19ha checkpoint – and aims to cut average clearance time from 60 minutes to 15 minutes during peak periods across all vehicle types, among other improvements.
Long Island to be reclaimed off East Coast could add 800ha of land, create Singapore’s 18th reservoir
Three tracts of land could be reclaimed off East Coast Park in the coming decades, creating about 800ha of land for new homes and other amenities, as well as a new reservoir.
Called the Long Island, these land tracts – collectively about twice the size of Marina Bay – are Singapore’s response to the threat of rising sea levels and inland flooding in the East Coast area.
Land in the area is largely lower than 5m above the mean sea level, the extent that sea levels are projected to rise to by the end of this century if extreme high tides coincide with storm surges.
Reclaimed from the sea: How East Coast and Marine Parade came to be
A photo taken in September 1974 showing the reclaimed land in Marine Parade and where HDB blocks had begun to spring up. PHOTO: ST FILE
Marine Parade and the East Coast area sprang up from the sea as a result of a major land reclamation project between the 1960s and 1980s. Marine Parade was the first housing estate to be built entirely on reclaimed land, and 2024 marks the 50th anniversary of the first residents moving into the estate.
In the coming decades, another reclamation project – Long Island – is planned for the south-eastern coast. When completed, the stretch of reclaimed land will protect Singapore against rising sea levels. It will have a reservoir to serve the country’s rising water demands, and space for new homes and amenities to address land needs.
The Straits Times looks back at the 20-year East Coast Reclamation Scheme, which was completed in 1985 and added 1,525ha of land and 18km of new coastline:
- 1963 - Testing the waters. About 19ha of land – the size of about 25 football fields – is reclaimed along the Bedok coast in a pilot project.
- 1966 to 1971 - Work begins. In Phase 1, 405ha of land stretching from Bedok to the Singapore Swimming Club in Tanjong Rhu is reclaimed.
- 1970 and 1971 - Extending the reclaimed stretch. In Phase 2, reclamation is extended to the tip of Tanjong Rhu.
- 1972 - First phase of East Coast Park development. The arid reclaimed shoreline slowly comes to life with plants and trees.
- 1972 to 1976 - First HDB flats in Marine Parade. The first blocks of flats are built in Marine Parade in 1972 on land reclaimed in Phases 1 and 2. Phases 3 to 7 are carried out between 1971 and 1985. The 20-year reclamation project costs around $613 million.
- 1981 - Completion of East Coast Parkway. The last section of East Coast Parkway between Marina Centre in Tanjong Rhu and Shenton Way opens to traffic in September 1981.
- 1991 - Long Island first mooted. Long Island is first envisioned as a reclaimed island for beachfront housing and leisure in the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s (URA’s) 1991 Concept Plan.
More land to be reclaimed off Pulau Sudong; works will lead to loss of marine habitats
About 31.1 ha of land – the size of 43 football fields – will be reclaimed on the eastern part of the island. PHOTO: EDWIN KOO
Reclamation works are planned to begin to the east of Pulau Sudong from 2024 to upgrade its existing runway for military aircraft – a development that could result in the loss of 2ha of coral reefs, as well as seagrass habitats and swathes of mangrove forests.
To mitigate the environmental impact of the project, the authorities will relocate rare and vulnerable species, and carry out habitat restoration works once the proposed reclamation is completed by 2028, said the Housing Board on Jan 26.
About 31.1ha of land – the size of 43 football fields – will be reclaimed on the eastern part of the island, which has been gazetted for military use since the 1970s. This is so that the emergency runway can be upgraded, which will improve flight safety, especially during bad weather, HDB said in response to queries from The Straits Times.
How Singapore is creating more land for itself
Jurong Island, a man-made smear of sand, lies just off the southern coast of Singapore. A quarter the size of Nantucket, it is thoroughly given over to the petrochemical industry, so crowded with spindly cracking towers and squat oil-storage tanks that the landscape is a blur of brand names — BASF, AkzoNobel, Exxon Mobil, Vopak. One of the island’s most distinctive features, though, remains hidden: the Jurong Rock Caverns, which hold 126 million gallons of crude oil. To get there, you ride an industrial elevator more than 325 feet into the earth, and that brings you to the operations tunnel, a curving space as lofty as a cathedral. It is so long that workers get around on bicycles. Safety goggles mist up with the heat and the humidity; the rock walls, wet from dripping water, look so soft they might have been scooped out of chocolate ice cream. This is as far as anyone — even the workers — can go. The caverns themselves are an additional 100 feet beneath the ocean: two sealed cylindrical vaults, extending away from Jurong. They opened for business in 2014. Next year, three new vaults will be ready. Then, if all goes according to plan, there will be six more.
As a concept, underground reservoirs are not new. Sweden has been building them since the 1950s; a pair in the port of Gothenburg has a titanic capacity of 370 million gallons of oil. So the Jurong Rock Caverns are less an emblem of the marvels of technology than of the anxiety of a nation. Singapore is the 192nd-largest country in the world. Tinier than Tonga and just three-fifths the area of New York City, it has long fretted about its congenital puniness. “Bigger countries have the luxury of not having to think about this,” said David Tan, the assistant chief executive of a government agency called the Jurong Town Corporation, which built Jurong Island as well as the caverns. “We’ve always been acutely aware of our small size.”
The caverns were designed to free up land above ground, Tan said. I remarked that the phrase “freeing up land” occurs like clockwork in conversations with Singapore’s planners. He laughed. Land is Singapore’s most cherished resource and its dearest ambition. Since it became an independent nation 52 years ago, Singapore has, through assiduous land reclamation, grown in size by almost a quarter: to 277 square miles from 224. By 2030, the government wants Singapore to measure nearly 300 square miles.
JTC to reclaim 172ha of land in Tuas for industrial use, improved connections to Tuas Port
Reclamation works at Northern Tuas Basin are slated to begin in 2025 and end around 2029. ST FOTO: GAVIN FOO
New reclamation works are planned for Tuas, which will yield about 172ha of land for industrial use and to improve road connections to Tuas Port.
JTC Corporation, the government agency overseeing Singapore’s industrial spaces, told The Straits Times that reclamation works at Northern Tuas Basin are slated to begin in 2025 and end around 2029.
The project will “meet land demand for future industrial uses as part of ongoing plans to rejuvenate the older parts of Jurong and Tuas Industrial Estates, which were developed in the 1960s and 1970s”, the agency said in response to queries.
Singapore steps up large-scale land reclamation
Singapore is stepping up a coastal protection project coupled with the expansion of the offshore area to 800ha, which is twice the size of Marina Bay. Speaking at the East Coast Park on November 28, National Development Minister Desmond Lee announced that public agencies will carry out technical studies for the Long Island project over five years, starting from early 2024.
The current plan is for three elongated tracts of land to be reclaimed in the area, extending from Marina East to Tanah Merah. A large tidal gate and pumping station will be built in between each new land mass. These will control the water level in a new reservoir bordered by the East Coast Park and the new land masses, and, in the process, reduce flood risks in the East Coast area.
Since 2021, Singapore has launched a specific research on its coastlines. In September 2023, the country inaugurated its first research centre to enhance local capabilities and expertise in coastal protection and flood management. About 30% of Singapore's land area lies less than 5m above average sea level, including the East Coast Park - an expansive recreational area covering about 180ha that attracts 7.5 million visitors each year.
Land reclamation at Changi Bay to start by end-2022, near-threatened eagle & dugong feeding trails observed nearby
Land reclamation to extend the Changi Bay shoreline will start soon, with project works expected to commence in 2022. The project is managed by the Housing Development Board (HDB).
The Changi Bay reclamation has been alluded to in planning maps since the 2013 Land Use Plan as well as in the recent Urban Redevelopment Authority Long-Term Plan Review, where the area is designated as a "reserve site". The environmental impact assessment report for the reclamation of Changi Bay has been available for public viewing since Jul. 12, 2022.
Here are some key points from the report as seen by Mothership:
- The project will take at least 10 years - The reclamation will extend the landmass at Changi Bay by about 4km in the southeast direction.
- Naturalised coastal habitat - While the report also projected effects of the reclamation on nearby coastal habitats like Changi Beach to the north and Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal to the South, the main area affected is Changi Bay itself.
- Seagrass, dugongs and other marine mammals recorded near project site - The 2021 survey looked at three patches of seagrass towards the southwest-side of Changi Bay, with the largest of them covering around 290m2 of land area.
- "Uncommon" coral species recorded during survey - In a survey of coral habitats in and around Changi Bay, the report noted that several corals found at the rock bund at the southern end of Changi Bay and at Changi Finger are considered rare or uncommon in Singapore.
- Turtle nesting site recorded at Changi Bay - Turtle nesting site at Changi Bay has also been recorded by NParks in December 2020, the report noted.
Singapore to reclaim land around Pedra Branca
ALL ongoing reclamation and development plans by Singapore in Batu Puteh will be temporarily halted, says Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Mohamad Alamin. According to him, the decision by Singapore came following Malaysia’s verbal and written objections that Singapore has no right to continue planning development and reclamation works until the two countries finalise the maritime borders in those waters.
“Singapore agreed to stop all temporary plans for development and reclamation works in Batu Puteh. “Aside from determining maritime borders, negotiations to discuss Singapore’s unilateral development plans in Batu Puteh have been started by both countries,” said Mohamad during his winding-up speech on the motion of thanks for the Royal Address in Parliament. He said the Foreign Ministry and other government agencies are monitoring current developments and studying actions that can be taken based on international laws and diplomatic relations between the two countries. “As a responsible nation, Malaysia remains with the principles that this matter has to be handled diplomatically in good faith,” he added.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim recently said Malaysia and Singapore agreed to hold detailed negotiations on the republic’s plans to reclaim land near Batu Puteh. Anwar also said this was agreed with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong during his recent visit to the republic last month. However, he said the decision of not appealing the International Court of Justice’s decision should be reviewed.
Long Island could create Singapore’s 18th reservoir
Three tracts of land could be reclaimed off East Coast Park in the coming decades, creating about 800ha of land for new homes and other amenities, as well as a new reservoir. Called the Long Island, these land tracts – collectively about twice the size of Marina Bay – are Singapore’s response to the threat of rising sea levels and inland flooding in the East Coast area.
Land in the area is largely lower than 5m above the mean sea level, the extent that sea levels are projected to rise to by the end of this century if extreme high tides coincide with storm surges. On Nov 28, National Development Minister Desmond Lee announced that public agencies will carry out technical studies for the Long Island project over five years, starting from early 2024. Over the next few years, members of the public will be consulted for their ideas and suggestions for the project, which will take several decades to plan, design and develop.
The current plan is for three elongated tracts of land to be reclaimed in the area, extending from Marina East to Tanah Merah. The easternmost land tract will start from Tanah Merah, while the westernmost tract will be an extension of Marina East. Between these two tracts, a third tract will be reclaimed. A large tidal gate and pumping station will be built in between each new land mass. These will control the water level in a new reservoir bordered by East Coast Park and the new land masses, and, in the process, reduce flood risks in the East Coast area.
Land reclamation in Singapore
Stamford Raffles's plan for the Town of Singapore, 1822
The reclamation of land from surrounding waters is used in Singapore to expand the city-state's limited area of usable, natural land. Land reclamation is most simply done by adding material such as rocks, soil and cement to an area of water; alternatively submerged wetlands or similar biomes can be drained. In Singapore the former has been the most common method until recently, with sand the predominant material used. Due to a global shortage and restricted supply of the required type of sand (river and beach sand, not desert sand), Singapore has switched to polders for reclamation since 2016 — a method from the Netherlands in which an area is surrounded by a dyke and pumped dry to reclaim the land.
Land reclamation allows for increased development and urbanization and in addition to Singapore has been similarly useful to Hong Kong and Macau. Each of these is a small coastal territory restrained by its geographical boundaries, and thus traditionally limited by the ocean's reach. The use of land reclamation allows these territories to expand outwards by recovering land from the sea. At just 719 km2 (278 sq mi), the entire country of Singapore is smaller than New York City. As such, the Singaporean government has used land reclamation to supplement Singapore's available commercial, residential, industrial, and governmental properties (military and official buildings). Land reclamation in Singapore also allows for the preservation of local historic and cultural communities, as building pressures are reduced by the addition of reclaimed land. Land reclamation has been used in Singapore since the early 19th century, extensively so in this last half-century in response to the city-state's rapid economic growth.
In 1960, Singapore was home to fewer than two million people; that number had more than doubled by 2008, to almost four and a half million people. To keep up with such an increase in population (as well as a concurrent surge in the country's economy and industrialization efforts), Singapore has increased its land mass by 22% since independence in 1965, with land continuously being set aside for future use. Though Singapore's native population is no longer increasing as rapidly as it was in the mid-twentieth century, the city-state has experienced a continued influx in its foreign population, resulting in a continued investment in land reclamation by the government. The government thus plans to expand the city-state by an additional 7-8% by 2030.
Reservoirs in Singapore
MacRitchie Reservoir formerly called "Thomson Road Reservoir", constructed 1890-1894 has a storage capacity of 4,200,000 cubic metres
There are a currently 17 reservoirs which are designated as national water catchment areas and are managed by the Public Utilities Board (PUB) of Singapore.
The following is a list of reservoirs in Singapore:
01 - MacRitchie Reservoir (formerly called "Thomson Road Reservoir")
02 - Lower Peirce Reservoir (formerly called "Kallang River Reservoir" & "Peirce Reservoir")
03 - Upper Seletar Reservoir (formerly called "Seletar Reservoir")
05 - Kranji Reservoir
06 - Pandan Reservoir
07 - Murai Reservoir
08 - Poyan Reservoir
09 - Sarimbun Reservoir
10 - Tengeh Reservoir
11 - Jurong Lake
14 - Bedok Reservoir
15 - Marina Reservoir
16 - Punggol Reservoir
17 - Serangoon Reservoir
Long Island to be reclaimed off East Coast could add 800ha of land, create Singapore’s 18th reservoir