My feedback to HDB includes to please allow the public a last chance to say goodbye to the shore. And to consider creating places for marine life in the project.
Where?
The 900ha reclamation will bury all of the 'Lost Coast' at the eastern most part of Changi.
Why?
For purposes that appear yet to be determined by the authorities. In the Long-Term Plan Review, the area is marked as 'Reserve Site'. Planned reclamation at Chek Jawa in the Plan is also marked as 'Reserve Site'.
Works will start soon, around the third quarter of 2022. It is expected to take about 5-10 years to complete the reclamation.
What marine life?
The Lost Coast is a vast sandy shore - a habitat that is now rare in Singapore (thus 'lost') and home to animals that we seldom see on our other shores. These include sea stars, special sand dollars, sea slugs and snails that thrive in sandy areas.
More about what we saw over the decades at the Lost Coast: I first returned to this shore for the first time in ten years in Dec 2020. Recent trips were in Jun 2022, Jul 2021 and Dec 2021. Previous trips to these shore were in Nov 2011, Oct 2011, quick visit in Oct 2011, Jan 2010, first trip in Jan 2010.
My feedback to HDB:
Please allow the public a last chance to see the shore?
Right now, this shore is strictly off limits without a permit. Since we are going to lose these shores forever, will the authorities consider allowing the public access to see these shores and say a proper goodbye to them?
Can we create places for marine life in the project?
Particularly since the final purpose of the reclamation seems still yet to be determined, can we build the seawalls and create small lagoons specially for marine life?
Colourful reefy marine life has settled on regular seawall areas near the Lost Coast. Here's a glimpse of what Kok Sheng saw last month (June 2022). Imagine how much more marine life can settle on a seawall with special features to encourage this.
My feedback to HDB:
Please allow the public a last chance to see the shore?
Right now, this shore is strictly off limits without a permit. Since we are going to lose these shores forever, will the authorities consider allowing the public access to see these shores and say a proper goodbye to them?
Can we create places for marine life in the project?
Particularly since the final purpose of the reclamation seems still yet to be determined, can we build the seawalls and create small lagoons specially for marine life?
Colourful reefy marine life has settled on regular seawall areas near the Lost Coast. Here's a glimpse of what Kok Sheng saw last month (June 2022). Imagine how much more marine life can settle on a seawall with special features to encourage this.
Please send your feedback on the reclamation to HDB: Ms Audrey Yim / Mr Terence Peh via email at Audrey_HM_YIM@hdb.gov.sg /PEH_Hui_Yang@hdb.gov.sg
The EIA is available for viewing until 8 Aug.
From http://www.egazette.com.sg/pdf.aspx?ct=gg&yr=2022&filename=22adv6091.pdf
RECLAMATION AT CHANGI BAY
Environmental Impact Assessment Report for Proposed Land Reclamation at Changi Bay
HDB plans to carry out land reclamation at Changi Bay. An environmental impact assessment has been carried out to determine the potential impact of the project on navigation and the marine environment.
The environmental impact assessment report is available for public viewing by appointment, at the HDB Hub (Address: 480, Lorong 6, Toa Payoh, Singapore 310480), for 4 weeks with effect from 12 July 2022. To view the report, please contact Ms Audrey Yim / Mr Terence Peh via email at Audrey_HM_YIM@hdb.gov.sg /PEH_Hui_Yang@hdb.gov.sg to arrange a viewing from Monday to Friday.
More details in media articles
Thanks to Mothership for interviewing me and sharing some of my thoughts: "Land reclamation at Changi Bay to start by end-2022, near-threatened eagle & dugong feeding trails observed nearby" Gawain Pek 3 Aug 2022.
Land reclamation at Changi Bay to start by end-2022, near-threatened eagle & dugong feeding trails observed nearby
All mitigation measures recommended will be implemented.
Land reclamation to extend the Changi Bay shoreline will start soon, with project works expected to commence in 2022.
The project is managed by the Housing Development Board (HDB).
The Changi Bay reclamation has been alluded to in planning maps since the 2013 Land Use Plan as well as in the recent Urban Redevelopment Authority Long-Term Plan Review, where the area is designated as a "reserve site".
The environmental impact assessment report for the reclamation of Changi Bay has been available for public viewing since Jul. 12, 2022.
Here are some key points from the report as seen by Mothership.
The project will take at least 10 years
The reclamation will extend the landmass at Changi Bay by about 4km in the southeast direction.
To facilitate the project, a construction yard area (CYA) will first be built at the southwest corner of the bay, near Tanah Merah Coast Road.
This will begin in the later half of 2022, with initial sand infilling also expected to commence by the end of 2022.
However, the construction of the containment bund is expected to begin in 2023, the report wrote.
Taking place over a period of at least 10 years, the reclamation project will add around 900 hectares of land area to the Changi coastline once completed.
Specific use for the land has yet to be determined, according to a HDB spokesperson who spoke to The Straits Times (ST).
Naturalised coastal habitat
While the report also projected effects of the reclamation on nearby coastal habitats like Changi Beach to the north and Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal to the South, the main area affected is Changi Bay itself.
The report noted that the Changi Bay shoreline was created as part of a previous reclamation in the 1990s.
“The entire shorelines is man-made, but ecological communities have established”, the report wrote.
Two intertidal surveys were cited as part of the report – one conducted in 2015 and the other more recently in 2021.
Seagrass, dugongs and other marine mammals recorded near project site
The 2021 survey looked at three patches of seagrass towards the southwest-side of Changi Bay, with the largest of them covering around 290m2 of land area.
Seagrass serve an important ecological role by cycling nutrients, and provide food for marine mammals such as Dugongs.
Dugong feeding trails have been spotted near Changi Bay at Chek Jawa in the past, as recorded on Wild Singapore.
The report noted that past sightings of Dugongs, along with other marine mammals like the Indo-pacific bottlenose dolphins, Humpback dolphins, Finless porpoise, occured further west near the St. John's-Seringat-Lazaraus group of islands, which is away from the project site.
However, conservationists have spotted possible Dugong feeding trails within Changi Bay itself in June 2022.
"Uncommon" coral species recorded during survey
In a survey of coral habitats in and around Changi Bay, the report noted that several corals found at the rock bund at the southern end of Changi Bay and at Changi Finger are considered rare or uncommon in Singapore.
The genus of the corals recorded include: Acropora, Goniastrea, Platygyra, Podabacia, Lobophyllia, Symphyllia, Pocillopora, and Pseudosiderastrea.
The report recommends targeted relocation of the corals before the start of construction works.
Turtle nesting site recorded at Changi Bay
Turtle nesting site at Changi Bay has also been recorded by NParks in December 2020, the report noted.
Hawksbill turtles are listed as "Critically Endangered" in the Singapore Red Data Book.
However, the report also noted that the nesting at Changi Bay was "small-scale" and "opportunistic".
To mitigate the impact on the turtles, the report recommends the monitoring of the Changi Bay shoreline annually during the turtle nesting season (between June and September) until the start of reclamation works and if needed, to relocate any turtle eggs to a secure nesting area before they hatch.
Other Vulnerable species found
Other marine species found at Changi Bay include the Tiger moon snail, Sand dollars, Blue spotted stingray and sea cucumbers, according to the report.
The survey also found "Vulnerable" species such as the Dubious nerite snail, Noble volute and Smooth-coated otters within the Changi Bay area.
Some conservation-significant species sighted at CYA area on land
On land, the first area to be affected by the project works is the site of the CYA, which will require clearing about 7.2 hectares of vegetation, scrubland, and grassland.
Two native, endangered tree species found
The environmental impact assessment report survey found 21 tree species within the designated CYA site, according to the report.
Most notably, they recorded two individuals belonging to endangered, native tree species.
They are Guettarda speciosa, which is a type of shrub, and Heritiera littoralis, a mangrove species.
The report recommends transplanting these trees before construction works.
Apart from the few conservation significant species recorded, the CYA site was dominated by plant species that are commonly found in Singapore, the report surveys found.
The report notes that given the relatively small area affected and the temporary nature of the CYA, it expects the floral community to re-establish once the CYA activities are completed.
Near-threatened bird species spotted
The surveys also found that out of all species types, avifauna had the highest conservation significance.
Birds found within the project area include the near-threatened Grey-headed fish eagle, as well as the Changeable hawk-eagle, Black-crowned night heron, Red-wattled lapwing, Red-legged crakes, and the Red-breasted parakeet.
Development can go hand in hand with conservation
Speaking to Mothership, nature enthusiast Ria Tan, who runs a long-running blog called "Wild Singapore", shared that though the current Changi Bay shoreline was created from past reclamation, the shore has grown to be a unique place in Singapore.
Apart from the ecological communities that have re-established itself and thrived there, Tan shared that the shore is one "you don't get anywhere else in Singapore".
On the reclamation, Tan said that "we have to do this thing. But can we do it in a way that is a win win?"
Tan shared that it just takes "slight adjustments in engineering".
For example, the current biodiversity and ecological community at Changi Bay "cost nothing", but it has established itself because floral and fauna have been given space to grow, Tan added.
In her feedback to HDB, she shared with the authorities that she hopes arrangements can be made by them such that the public will be able to visit the area without being required to apply for a permit before development commences.
"People cannot care about something that they have not experienced," Tan elaborated on why she feels the public should be allowed to visit the site, whether it is to see the shore for the last time before it is "completely lost forever" or to provide feedback on the development plan for the site.
The marine conservation community would be "happy to help run guided walks", she said.
HDB commented that all mitigation measures recommended by the report will be implemented, ST reported.
The environmental impact assessment report for the reclamation of Changi Bay will be available till Aug. 8, 2022.
The viewing is by appointment only.
Visit here to find out more about viewing the report.
Nesting turtles sighted at Changi Bay reclamation site
Ang Qing, Straits Times, Jul 23, 2022 02:59 am
Published earlier this month, the environmental impact assessment (EIA) aims to limit the damage caused by the reclamation of about 900ha of land - more than 10 times the size of the Singapore Botanic Gardens - in the waters off Changi.
The 550-page report - available for physical viewing at the HDB Hub in Toa Payoh by appointment - said nesting turtles have been seen at the site, and the permanent loss of such habitat from reclamation will have a major negative impact on turtles, such as the critically endangered hawksbill turtle, if no intervention takes place.
Female marine turtles instinctively try to return to the same beach where they hatched for their own nesting, the report by environmental consultant DHI Water and Environment said. It recommended relocating any eggs found on the Changi Bay site to minimise the loss of future generations of marine turtles that might return.
Located between Changi Beach Park and Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal, the reclamation site spans a plot of about 7.2ha of secondary coastal vegetation as well as small patches of corals, mangroves and seagrass, the report said.
The permanent removal of intertidal habitat and secondary coral communities within the site is the main long-term impact that reclamation will have on marine ecosystems, it added.
The report said reclamation will smother one mangrove species, the Tengar merah (Ceriops zippeliana) listed as endangered locally, and a few rare or uncommon species of corals.
Given the small size of intertidal habitat – about 10.54ha – relative to the total reclamation site, and the presence of few species of importance, the report concluded that any detrimental effect would be minor.
Meanwhile, important corals from secondary coral communities totalling 7.2ha could be relocated to reduce impact, it said.
With mitigation measures such as these in place, the report concluded that the project does not pose any significant negative or unacceptable impact to the environment, including the nearby Chek Jawa Wetlands on the eastern end of Pulau Ubin. Chek Jawa is one of Singapore's richest ecosystems.
Responding to queries from The Straits Times, HDB said all mitigation measures recommended by the EIA as well as an environmental monitoring and management plan will be implemented, so as to minimise the environmental impact of works.
All land reclamation projects are required to undergo environmental studies to assess their impact, such as on water quality and marine ecology, HDB added.
Members of the public can share their feedback until Aug 8, said HDB, which has engaged nature groups to seek their views. It will review and consider all feedback before development works start.
