Singapore considering artificial islands to deal with rising sea levels

In order to shield low-lying communities from the rising sea levels brought on by climate change, Singapore has stated that it is thinking of creating artificial islands off its east coast.

National Development Minister Desmond Lee announced on Tuesday that the “Long Island” project’s engineering and environmental impact studies will begin the next year and take five years to complete.

According to Lee, 800 hectares of land might be reclaimed for the project, providing the heavily populated city-state with additional space for residences, parks, and businesses.

Singapore faces a “grave threat” from rising sea levels, according to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s 2019 warning, and building coastal defences might cost up to S$100 billion over the course of the next 100 years.

The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), Singapore’s land-use planning body, has requested public input on the project, which may take several decades to complete.

As a “line of defence” against increasing sea levels, artificial islands may be constructed off the coast at a level higher than the mainland, according to the URA’s website.

Governmental organisations had also looked into constructing a 3 m sea wall with pumping stations and tidal gates to support it along the whole waterfront.

However, the URA claimed that while pumping stations would take up the space of fifteen football fields in the park, building on the wall would result in “extended periods of disruption” for park visitors.

Prof. of coastal science Adam Switzer stated that “a variety of in-depth studies” for “Long Island” are necessary, including an examination of the effects on the sea bed and coastal currents.

Switzer, an academic at the Asian School of the Environment at Nanyang Technological University, stated that “there will need to be very careful consideration of the potential impact on both the built and natural environment”.

However, Switzer pointed to Changi Airport, the financial area of Marina Bay, and the Tuas Port as examples of Singapore’s experience with large-scale land reclamation.

Koh Chan Ghee, a professor at the National University of Singapore’s department of civil and environmental engineering, suggested using natural remedies including coral reefs, mangroves, and marine vegetation.

(With agency inputs)