Singapore (VNA) - Singapore has completed main construction works for its first polder project, reclaiming about 800ha of land at the tip of the Pulau Tekong island off its northeastern coast.
The project, equivalent to the size of two Toa Payoh towns, was first announced by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in 2016, when he was Minister for National Development.
In a joint media release on September 8, the Housing and Development Board (HDB) and national water agency PUB said that construction was completed using an empoldering method, making it the first time Singapore has reclaimed land below mean sea level.
The empoldering method uses less sand compared to the traditional land reclamation process of infilling with sand, with the amount of sand used for this reclamation was reduced by close to 50%.
The agencies said the reclaimed land will be used for military training purposes, freeing up space on the mainland for other uses, such as developing new homes and other amenities, they added.
A 10km-long coastal dike, a type of barrier, has been built along the perimeter of the polder to keep seawater out. The dike can stand up to 6m above mean sea level, and its height can be raised if needed, to adapt to future increase in sea levels.
The coastal dike was the first key infrastructure to be completed, as it was necessary to fully enclose the area being reclaimed to manage water levels within the polder, said HDB and PUB.
HDB and PUB said that in designing the coastal dike and its safety provisions, they drew on the experience of the Netherlands, which has the world's highest standards for dike safety.
the two agencies worked with Dutch experts to adapt the polder at Pulau Tekong to Singapore's context, to ensure its safety.
PUB has also installed more than 170 closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras and over 260 sensors to monitor the coastal dike, as well as the water level and quality within the drainage network, said the agency's senior principal engineer for the catchment and waterways department Thomas Pang.
Taking on the management of Singapore's first polder was a "significant milestone, Pang said, adding that with climate change bringing more intense rainfall and rising sea levels, the polder offers an effective solution to address both challenges./.
