SINGAPORE — To protect Singapore’s coastlines from the risk of flooding due to rising sea levels, national water agency PUB has started a study along the city-east coast coastline. 

It will carry out similar studies for Jurong Island later this year and the north-west coast next year.

The agency said in a statement on Tuesday (May 18) that the city-east coast study — Singapore’s first site-specific one — will take about four years. 

It will include work such as collecting site data to support design work, devising adaptation measures and designing solutions to reduce flood risks.

Ms Hazel Khoo, director of PUB’s coastal protection department, said that the study will cost about S$18 million. 

The agency said that sea levels were expected to rise by more than 1m by 2100, owing to factors such as melting glaciers and warmer weather.

Last year, the then-Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources announced the Government’s plan to protect Singapore’s coastlines during a debate on its budget.

The city-east coast study will cover 57.8km of Singapore’s coastline across three areas: Changi, the East Coast-Marina Bay stretch and part of the Greater Southern Waterfront district. 

These areas were identified as being more vulnerable and critical, based on factors such as the potential impact of a flood event as well as the locations of assets, including Changi Airport and economic and industrial districts.

“Besides covering a significant stretch of the coastline, it is also a complex undertaking — beyond achieving the primary objective of flood protection through the implementation of innovative measures,” Ms Khoo of PUB said.

“PUB will also be exploring how we can complement land-use visions of the respective areas, enhance the living environment and create new recreational spaces with multi-functional uses for the community.”

To carry out the study, the agency has appointed CPG Consultants — a subsidiary of consultancy services, infrastructure and building management firm CPG Corporation.

It will partner Royal HaskoningDHV, a coastal engineering consultancy with headquarters in the Netherlands, as well as water-management solutions provider Hydroinformatics Institute.

When contacted, PUB said that more details about the studies on Jurong Island and the north-west coast, comprising Sungei Kadut and Lim Chu Kang, will be announced later.

In March, it said that Sungei Kadut and Lim Chu Kang hold “key assets”, such as Kranji Reservoir and Woodlands Checkpoint, and Sungei Kadut is home to industries such as timber and waste management.

Having divided Singapore's coastline into different segments, PUB said that it would take a phased approach in rolling out studies and developing protective measures for the various segments. 

EXPERT PANEL

PUB added that it had formed a five-member coastal protection panel, comprising experts here and abroad, to strengthen its knowledge and expertise in coastal engineering.

Professor Chan Eng Soon, who heads the Technology Centre for Offshore and Marine Singapore, a national research-and-development centre, chairs the panel.

The other panel members are:

• Professor Marcel Stive, a Dutch engineer internationally recognised for his work in coastal solutions 

• Professor Robert Nicholls from the United Kingdom, an expert in climate change and sea-level rise

• Professor Robert Dalrymple from the United States, who specialises in coastal processes

• Professor David Balmforth, a UK-based expert in urban flood risk assessment 

Prof Chan said: “I am glad to have the opportunity to work with a team of eminent colleagues in this field, especially in guiding PUB as it embarks on the monumental task of protecting Singapore from flooding due to intense rainfall and rising sea levels.”