UPDATE ON PLANS AND TIMELINE FOR PROJECTS TO PROTECT SINGAPORE’S COASTLINES FROM IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE & SHORING UP EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS TO DEAL WITH WEATHER PHENOMENA DUE TO CLIMATIC CHANGE.
Mr. Murali Pillai asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) in light of recent global climatic changes, whether there needs to be a revision to estimated timelines of sea-level rise that may affect Singapore in future; and (b) whether he can provide an update on the plan to build polders and implementation of other measures to deal with sea-level rise.
Ms. Grace Fu Hai Yien: Sea-level rise poses an existential threat to Singapore. By 2100, sea levels are expected to rise by up to one metre in Singapore due to climate change. We have started work to protect our coastlines to ensure that Singapore remains climate-resilient.
In developing coastal protection plans, the Government refers to the latest climate projections and risks, such as the recent findings by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). These findings will be further localised to inform Singapore’s climate adaptation plans. Coastal protection is a long-term and large-scale endeavour. Hence, even though there are uncertainties in climate projections, we have begun planning for coastal protection, beginning with the more vulnerable parts of our coasts. In May 2021, PUB, which is the national coastal protection agency, embarked on a site-specific study at the coastline of City-East Coast, which will consider possible protection measures, including the use of polders, seawalls as well as hybrid solutions that integrate nature-based elements such as planting mangroves. Similar studies to protect Jurong Island and the North-West coast will commence in 2022. These studies will develop coastal adaptation pathways and measures that are adaptive to climate uncertainties and the evolving climate science, drawing on international best practices.
The Housing & Development Board (HDB) has also piloted a polder project at Pulau Tekong, and its construction is ongoing. The learning points from this pilot will guide us on the feasibility of building polders as a coastal protection solution.
MSE will keep our adaptation measures nimble to account for the latest developments in climate science and projections of sea level rise. This will ensure that Singapore remains resilient to the long-term effects of climate change.
Mr. Murali Pillai asked the Minister for Home Affairs what steps have been taken to shore up the emergency preparedness amongst Singaporeans and civil defence of Singapore to deal with weather phenomena arising from climatic change.
Mr. K Shanmugam: The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) has been educating members of the public on emergency preparedness for the past decades. For example, how to react in situations of fire, flood, landslide, tremors, lightning (during thunderstorms), tsunami, etc. SCDF conducts training for members of the public, and issues advisories that can be found in public educational materials, such as the Civil Defence Emergency Handbook, and on SCDF’s website. SCDF’s Emergency Preparedness Centre also educates visitors, via interactive exhibits and video accounts, for example of Singaporean survivors of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, how to react during such emergencies.
Climate change has resulted in drier and hotter weather in recent years, increasing the risks of wildfire and heatwave. The inter-agency Wildfire Task Force, which is led by SCDF and with members from agencies such as SLA, NEA, NParks and PUB, steps up preventive measures such as watering and trimming of overgrown vegetation at high-risk areas, ahead of dry weather, to minimise the occurrences of vegetation fire. The Government also periodically conducts contingency planning exercises involving multiple government agencies, to review our planning assumptions and strengthen coordination in emergency plans.
