Addressing the Tekong polder’s environmental impacts, HDB said it had tasked an independent consultant to study the project’s effects and minimise damage. Taking in nature group feedback and the National Parks Board’s input, arborists identified and transplanted endangered plant species to other places like Pulau Ubin. HDB said surveys of nearby habitats showed that there were no significant changes to these habitats before and after construction of the land reclamation project. They cited how similar species of flora and fauna such as sea grapes, sea stars and sea sponges continue to be observed in the area.
The natural shores nearest Pulau Tekong is Beting Bronok, which we survey every year. Despite the ongoing reclamation works on Pulau Tekong, and flaring at Penggerang Johor, it remains alive, but seems to be dying slowly over the years.
Plot twice the size of Toa Payoh reclaimed off Pulau Tekong in S’pore’s first polder project
Ang Qing Straits Times Published Sep 08, 2025, 12:00 PM
SINGAPORE - A plot of land the size of about two Toa Payoh towns has been reclaimed off Pulau Tekong, the Government announced on Sept 8.
This marks the first time that Singapore has reclaimed land below the average sea level.
The plot, measuring around 800ha, was reclaimed at the north-western tip of Pulau Tekong, Singapore’s largest offshore island where many national service recruits are initiated into army life.
The reclaimed land is slated for military training purposes.
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong visited the site on Sept 8 to view the polder.
It marked a full circle for PM Wong, who had first unveiled the project in 2016 when he was Minister for National Development.
The reclamation was conducted using a method called empoldering, and main construction works for the land and its infrastructure were completed in end-2024.
The works involved building a coastal dyke – standing 6m at its highest point – around the area to be reclaimed and draining water from it, creating a low-lying tract of land below sea level called a polder.
The Tekong polder lies about 1.2m below mean sea level.
Climate projections show that sea levels around Singapore could rise by up to 5m by 2100.
The authorities said the height of the coastal dyke can be raised if needed, to adapt to future increases in sea levels.
With more intense rainfall wrought by climate change, water levels in the polder are managed by a 45km-long drainage network that prevents flooding and water from stagnating.
The network comprises two pumping stations, drains and a 116ha storm water collection pond, which is designed to hold enough water to fill 2,000 Olympic-size swimming pools.
During heavy rain, the pump has the capacity to empty an Olympic-size swimming pool’s worth of water in under three minutes.
This is the first time that empoldering has been used in Singapore.
Land is traditionally reclaimed by enclosing an area and dumping materials, primarily composed of sand, to create new land.
The authorities said reclaiming land through empoldering has cut the amount of sand needed by almost half, compared with the conventional method.
This has made empoldering an attractive option for the Republic, which is reclaiming more land and beefing up its coastal protection as sea levels rise.
The amount of sand used for the project was further reduced by repurposing clayey soil dredged from the construction of the polder’s storm water collection pond.
This amounted to more than 10 million cubic m, or enough to fill about 4,000 Olympic-size swimming pools, the authorities said.
PUB senior principal engineer Thomas Pang said the agency has put in place a fully automated system, with over 170 closed-circuit television cameras and more than 260 sensors installed across the polder to monitor the coastal dyke.
These artificial eyes on the ground help to verify faults flagged by the system, and detect the water quality and water levels in the drainage network.
“This enables real-time remote operations from the polder’s control centre and PUB’s joint operations centre on mainland Singapore,” said Mr Pang.
Responding to queries from The Straits Times, the authorities said final testing and commissioning works are still being conducted for some project infrastructure, including its telecommunication services.
Once these works are completed later in 2025, the reclamation project undertaken by HDB will be handed over to PUB and the Ministry of Defence.
In designing the coastal dyke, the Government said it worked closely with the Dutch – who have relied on empoldering for centuries to carve out new land – to adapt the technology for Singapore’s context.
Although the Republic experiences milder coastal and wave conditions, rainfall is typically more intense, the agencies added.
Hence, the polder’s drainage system and pumping stations was catered for Singapore’s tropical climate.
On the future of empoldering in Singapore, the authorities said the experience gained from operating and maintaining the Tekong polder will guide their review of the method’s viability for future land reclamation projects.
“As this is Singapore’s first polder, the cost of operating and maintaining the coastal dyke and water management system can only be determined after operating it for a period of time,” said HDB and PUB.
This comes as sand, a key ingredient of land reclamation, is prone to export bans.
For instance, in 2017, Cambodia permanently banned all sand exports on environmental grounds. The following year, Malaysia revived a ban on selling sea sand to other countries, citing similar reasons.
Responding to Malaysia’s ban, Singapore’s Ministry of National Development said then that the Republic has been encouraging its industries to reduce a reliance on sand.
Addressing the Tekong polder’s environmental impacts, HDB said it had tasked an independent consultant to study the project’s effects and minimise damage.
Prior to the polder’s construction, NUS’ Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum and nature groups and initiatives such as WildSingapore and TeamSeaGrass were also approached for feedback on planned measures to limit environmental impact.
Taking in their feedback and the National Parks Board’s input, arborists identified and transplanted endangered plant species to other places like Pulau Ubin.
HDB said surveys of nearby habitats showed that there were no significant changes to these habitats before and after construction of the land reclamation project.
They cited how similar species of flora and fauna such as sea grapes, sea stars and sea sponges continue to be observed in the area.
Singapore uses land reclamation as a tool in its arsenal against climate change.
Almost a third of the country rests just 5m above sea level, making these areas vulnerable to being flooded by rising sea levels in 2100, when combined with extreme events such as high tides and storm surges.
At Budget 2025, it was announced that Singapore’s Coastal and Flood Protection Fund – to safeguard the country from rising seas and floods – will receive a $5 billion.
Currently, there are four ongoing site-specific studies, with plans to commence two new studies at Singapore’s south-west coast and Sentosa by 2026.
Singapore completes first polder project, reclaims 800ha of land at Pulau Tekong
This marks the first time Singapore has reclaimed land below mean sea level, through a method that cut the use of sand by almost 50 per cent.
Natasha Ganesan Channel NewsAsia 08 Sep 2025 12:00PM
SINGAPORE: 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.
Polders are tracts of land that lie below sea level and are reclaimed through the building of dikes, drainage canals and pumping stations.
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.
Construction was completed using an empoldering method, making it the first time Singapore has reclaimed land below mean sea level, the Housing and Development Board (HDB) and national water agency PUB said in a joint media release on Monday (Sep 8).
The amount of sand used for this reclamation was reduced by close to 50 per cent as a result, the two 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.
In response to CNA's queries, HDB and PUB said that while main construction works for the land and infrastructure were completed at the end of 2024, some final testing and commissioning works remain.
These include the control and monitoring system for a water management system as well as telecommunication services on the polder, which are now ongoing and will be completed later this year.
After that, HDB will hand over the polder to PUB and the Ministry of Defence.
"Hence, the exact cost of the polder and the amount of cost savings have yet to be finalised," said HDB and PUB.
"As this is Singapore’s first polder, the cost of operating and maintaining the coastal dike and water management system can only be determined after operating it for a period of time."
GUARDING AGAINST RISING SEA LEVELS
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.
The dike was constructed with a mix of materials and structures. For example, the side facing the sea has a layer of natural rock to maintain its robustness; while the part facing land is covered by Bermuda grass to hold soil firmly and mitigate erosion during rain.
A road that runs along the entire crest or surface of the dike was also built to facilitate maintenance works. This road, together with another 21km of roads, allows vehicles to safely navigate the polder.
In designing the coastal dike and its safety provisions, HDB and PUB said they drew on the experience of the Netherlands, which has the world's highest standards for dike safety.
Since the use of polders was a "novel" approach for Singapore, the two agencies worked with Dutch experts to adapt the polder at Pulau Tekong to Singapore's context, to ensure its safety, said Ms Goh Pei Ling, deputy director for building and infrastructure at HDB.
Should flooding occur, a public warning system will be activated to alert personnel to suspend all activities and evacuate the polder, HDB and PUB told CNA.
"If any pumps fail, standby pumps will be automatically activated to take over the operation. In the event of power failure, backup generators will be activated to power the pumps," they said.
MANAGING WATER
The viability of the polder also depends on its water management system.
Given Singapore's high rainfall and the polder's low-lying nature below mean sea level, managing stormwater runoff requires "special attention" as water is unable to flow out naturally, said HDB and PUB.
As such, the polder has a 45km-long drainage network, a stormwater collection pond and two pumping stations.
The drainage network comprises more than 30 water control as well as inlet and outlet structures with gates to manage rainfall.
The outlet structures, which run through the coastal dike, channel excess water collected within the polder out to sea.
The inlet structures divert stormwater runoff into the collection pond.
The pond, which is 116ha in size, stores rainfall runoff to mitigate flooding within the polder. The pond is designed to hold up to 5 million cubic metres of water, the equivalent of 2,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools, said HDB and PUB.
Once the stormwater collection pond is full, excess water is then channelled to a drainage pumping station, to be released into the sea. This station is located next to the coastal dike.
A second pump, known as the central pumping station, is next to the pond and it circulates water in the drains to maintain water level and ensure good water quality.
The overall drainage system is monitored and operated by PUB through a fully automated system, at an operation control centre located within the drainage pumping station.
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.
This enables seamless, real-time remote operations from both the control centre at the polder and PUB's joint operations centre on mainland Singapore, he added.
Taking on the management of Singapore's first polder was a "significant milestone" for PUB, said Mr Pang, adding that the agency had been involved since 2011 and co-chaired multi-agency committees overseeing the design and construction of the polder.
"We have gained valuable experience and deepened our capabilities required for polder management."
He added that with climate change bringing more intense rainfall and rising sea levels, the polder offers an effective solution to address both challenges.
HDB and PUB said in response to CNA's queries that the insights and experience drawn from operating and maintaining the project will guide a review of the viability of using the empoldering method in future land reclamation projects.
"Additionally, as Singapore’s coastline is highly varied, coastal protection solutions need to be tailored to the specific characteristics of each site. These will be determined through PUB’s site-specific studies to assess the most suitable approach for each location."
