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Singapore's Waterways
21 October 2023
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Between 1960s – 1970s, there were records of three major floods that resulted in casualties, damages to property, and disruptions to electricity and power supply. Flooding incidents intensified as rapid development of housing and industrial estates led to increased surface flows to the drainage waterways. How do we then mitigate widespread flooding?
#ChallengeAccepted. By transforming our waterway network and infrastructure.
From 1980s, recognising that water bodies and waterways could play more than just a functional role, in 1989 the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) developed a plan to boldly reverse what had been the status quo: by concretising and canalising waterways.
Concrete waterways are necessary features in our highly developed urban landscape, as they perform the critical function of transporting storm discharge in limited urban space. Due to Singapore’s tropical climate, these monsoon canals tend to be empty and thus very unattractive during dry seasons.
Yet others may be unaware that this innovative stormwater management measure is a direct outgrowth of Singapore’s decades-long experience of combatting what had once been regular and severe floods across the island. In fact, lying beneath the surface of the Kallang River is an inspiring story of crisis transformed into opportunity.
Launched in 2006 by the Public Utilities Board (PUB), Singapore's National Water Agency, the ABC (Active, Beautiful, Clean) Waters Programme aims to transform waterways and reservoirs in Singapore beyond their drainage and water storage functions, to create clean and beautiful rivers and lakes while allowing these spaces to be used for community bonding and recreation.
The outcome? Each time a torrential downpour occurs, the water level in the Kallang River at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park rises and the adjacent park space becomes a floodplain to channel stormwater downstream to Marina Reservoir. This trademark characteristic of the waterway’s rejuvenation under the ABC Waters Programme attracted the attention of curious onlookers. Some even took to social media to express concern at this sight.
Today, Singapore is relieved of prolonged floods. Flood-prone areas, which are low-lying areas with a history of flooding, have been reduced significantly from about 3,200 hectares in the 1970s to 30.5 hectares in 2016 despite increased urbanisation. Most times, our drains can cope with the rainfall that we receive. Through our concerted efforts in stormwater management, we have also transformed our urban landscape intensively, by integrating blue spaces within our urban fabric.
For more info on our ABC Waters programme 🔗: https://www.clc.gov.sg/docs/default-source/urban-systems-studies/rb172978-mnd-abc-water.pdf