Assessed Threats of Rising Sea Levels to Reservoirs, Coastal Areas and Reclaimed Land in Singapore

Mr Chong Kee Hiong asked the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources what are the assessed threats of rising sea levels to our reservoirs and coastal areas, particularly reclaimed land, and what are the measures to boost the protection for these areas.

Climate change is real and we are already seeing some effects in terms of changes in our weather. Another effect is potential rise in sea levels. This is a complex issue with far-reaching implications, especially for an island city-state, such as Singapore. To understand the assessed risks and impacts of long-term sea level rise on our coastal areas, multiple agencies are working together to study this issue carefully.

We have taken early steps to protect our coastal areas. Currently, over 70% of our coastline is protected from coastal erosion through hard structures or stone embankments. Since 2011, the Public Utilities Board (PUB) has revised the Code of Practice on Surface Water Drainage to raise minimum reclamation levels for newly reclaimed lands and minimum platform levels for coastal developments by one metre, to at least four metres above the mean sea level. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has also raised some roads near coastal areas, including a stretch of Changi Coast Road and Nicoll Drive. We are building future developments at higher platform levels as a safeguard against rising sea levels. For example, Changi Airport Terminal 5 will be built at 5.5 metres above the mean sea level.

More will be done. In 2015, the Centre for Climate Research Singapore, a department under the National Environment Agency, projected that Singapore could experience sea level rise of up to one metre by 2100. Building on these findings, work is currently ongoing to assess the risks and impacts of such long-term sea level rise on Singapore's coastal areas. Government agencies are developing a national framework for coastal protection, which includes developing long-term plans to protect vulnerable areas from sea-level rise. These plans and framework will help us to take timely and concrete steps to guard against sea level rise in the long term.