Latest news with #SingaporeStrait
CNN
23-07-2025
- Science
- CNN
A low-lying Asian country's defense against rising seas? Its very own ‘Long Island'
Waterlogged parks, submerged underpasses and streets engulfed by knee-deep water — low-lying Singapore is no stranger to what experts call 'nuisance flooding,' which, though burdensome, poses no major threat to people or property. But in a tiny island nation that prides itself on long-term planning, the recent deluges are considered a harbinger of far worse things to come. The Southeast Asian city-state estimates that the surrounding seas could rise by 1.15 meters (3.8 feet) by the end of this century. In a 'high emissions scenario,' they could climb up to 2 meters (6.6 feet) by 2150, according to the latest government projections. Combined with extreme high tides and storm surges, sea levels may sometimes exceed today's by up to 5 meters — higher than around 30% of Singapore. The proposed solution? An 8-mile-long string of inhabitable artificial islands that will double as a seawall protecting the 31-mile-wide country's entire southeastern coast. Dubbed 'Long Island' — a working title, for now — the project will likely take decades and billions of dollars to complete. The plan would see around 3 square miles of land (two and a half times the size of New York's Central Park) reclaimed from the Singapore Strait. The idea dates to the early 1990s, though it has gained significant momentum in recent years. In 2023, Singapore's urban planning agency, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), unveiled an initial blueprint comprising three tracts of land connected by tidal gates and pumping stations. Engineering and environmental studies are underway, meaning the islands' shape and position remain subject to change. But there appears to be little doubt among officials that the plans will, in some form or another, go ahead later this century. 'It's a very ambitious proposal,' said Adam Switzer, a professor of coastal science at the Asian School of the Environment at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University (NTU). 'And it's really a testament to the way that Singapore takes long-term planning into consideration for almost everything that it does.' Singaporean officials say they considered a basic seawall but wanted to retain residents' access to the coast. The URA's plan would create over 12 miles of new waterfront parks, with land also likely available for residential, recreational and commercial use. Lee Sze Teck, a consultant at Singapore-based real estate firm Huttons Asia, told CNN via email that Long Island offers the 'potential to build between 30,000 and 60,000 homes' in both low- and high-rise housing projects. Land in Singapore, one of the world's most expensive property markets, is notoriously scarce. As such, creating space for housing ensures the project 'can serve the community in a variety of different ways,' said NTU's Switzer. And there is another geographical vulnerability the proposal helps mitigate: Singapore's water shortage. Despite its tropical climate and heavy investment in desalination plants, the country has long relied on imported water (piped over the border from neighboring Malaysia's Johor River) to meet demand. But amid ongoing disgruntlement among Malaysian officials over the decades-old deal — and with Singapore's water use set to double by 2065 — self-sufficiency is a geopolitical priority. By connecting to the mainland at each end, Long Island would create a huge new reservoir, trapping freshwater that would otherwise be discharged into the sea. Switzer, who advises government agencies but is not directly involved in the project, said the proposal could make a 'major contribution' to Singapore's soaring water needs. 'The government is looking for as many wins as possible,' he added. 'It's not just about coastal defense.' Officials say they expect Long Island to take 'a few decades' to plan, design and implement. Once the land is reclaimed, it will then be years, or even decades, before it has settled enough to build on. Singapore's government is throwing its weight behind Long Island as an illustration of its long-term vision — a common theme in the island's politics. (The country's founding father and first prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew, famously said, 'I am calculating not in terms of the next election … I am calculating in terms of the next generation; in terms of the next 100 years; in terms of eternity.') Lee's eldest son and later prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong, said in 2019 that protecting the country against rising seas could take 100 billion Singapore dollars ($78 billion) over the next century. Earlier this year, his ruling People's Action Party — which has won every election since Singapore's independence in 1965 — featured Long Island prominently in its election manifesto, with the younger Lee's successor, Lawrence Wong, also personally backing the project. Land reclamation has always been central to Singapore's futureproofing efforts. The country's total area is, today, 25% larger than when colonialist Sir Stamford Raffles established it as a trading post for the British East India Company in the early 19th century. Indeed, the coast Long Island will be built off was itself reclaimed during the so-called 'Great Reclamation' of the 1960s and 1970s, when almost 6 square miles of new land, including a long stretch of beach, was created in the country's east. Land reclamation comes with its own political and environmental challenges, however. The process requires huge amounts of infill (Long Island would need 240 million metric tons of it, by one estimate) which traditionally consists of imported sand. But the major Southeast Asian exporters, Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia and Vietnam, have all at various times banned sand exports, citing environmental concerns over its excavation. Singapore is currently exploring alternatives that would reduce dependence on its neighbors. Research is currently underway, for instance, to see if ash from incinerated landfill could be used, alongside soil and construction debris, instead. Nature Society Singapore has meanwhile expressed a range of environmental concerns, including the impact of land reclamation on the area's horseshoe crabs, hawksbill turtles and nesting Malaysian plovers. Various other low-lying nations are — or are considering — using land reclamation to mitigate the effects of climate change. Indonesia's proposal for a giant seawall protecting its capital, Jakarta, remains mired in heated political debate more than a decade after the first plans were unveiled. Thailand and the Maldives are among the other countries to have suggested island-building as a response to rising sea levels. In Denmark, construction of a controversial 271-acre artificial peninsula protecting the capital, Copenhagen, from severe flooding began in 2022, though it is still the subject of ongoing protests. By contrast, there has been little significant opposition to Singapore's Long Island thus far. Flood resilience appears to be a priority in a country that has spent 2.5 billion Singapore dollars ($1.9 billion) improving its drainage infrastructure since 2011. The scheme may be the poster child for coastal resilience, but NTU's Switzer said the wider strategy could encompass everything from sediment realignment to 'nature-based solutions,' like building oyster beds or extending mangroves and offshore reefs. 'Long Island is just one part of a much, much bigger picture,' he added. 'As a low-lying nation, incredibly dependent on our coastline, it has to be at the forefront of everybody's thinking.'
CNN
23-07-2025
- Science
- CNN
A low-lying Asian country's defense against rising seas? Its very own ‘Long Island'
Waterlogged parks, submerged underpasses and streets engulfed by knee-deep water — low-lying Singapore is no stranger to what experts call 'nuisance flooding,' which, though burdensome, poses no major threat to people or property. But in a tiny island nation that prides itself on long-term planning, the recent deluges are considered a harbinger of far worse things to come. The Southeast Asian city-state estimates that the surrounding seas could rise by 1.15 meters (3.8 feet) by the end of this century. In a 'high emissions scenario,' they could climb up to 2 meters (6.6 feet) by 2150, according to the latest government projections. Combined with extreme high tides and storm surges, sea levels may sometimes exceed today's by up to 5 meters — higher than around 30% of Singapore. The proposed solution? An 8-mile-long string of inhabitable artificial islands that will double as a seawall protecting the 31-mile-wide country's entire southeastern coast. Dubbed 'Long Island' — a working title, for now — the project will likely take decades and billions of dollars to complete. The plan would see around 3 square miles of land (two and a half times the size of New York's Central Park) reclaimed from the Singapore Strait. The idea dates to the early 1990s, though it has gained significant momentum in recent years. In 2023, Singapore's urban planning agency, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), unveiled an initial blueprint comprising three tracts of land connected by tidal gates and pumping stations. Engineering and environmental studies are underway, meaning the islands' shape and position remain subject to change. But there appears to be little doubt among officials that the plans will, in some form or another, go ahead later this century. 'It's a very ambitious proposal,' said Adam Switzer, a professor of coastal science at the Asian School of the Environment at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University (NTU). 'And it's really a testament to the way that Singapore takes long-term planning into consideration for almost everything that it does.' Singaporean officials say they considered a basic seawall but wanted to retain residents' access to the coast. The URA's plan would create over 12 miles of new waterfront parks, with land also likely available for residential, recreational and commercial use. Lee Sze Teck, a consultant at Singapore-based real estate firm Huttons Asia, told CNN via email that Long Island offers the 'potential to build between 30,000 and 60,000 homes' in both low- and high-rise housing projects. Land in Singapore, one of the world's most expensive property markets, is notoriously scarce. As such, creating space for housing ensures the project 'can serve the community in a variety of different ways,' said NTU's Switzer. And there is another geographical vulnerability the proposal helps mitigate: Singapore's water shortage. Despite its tropical climate and heavy investment in desalination plants, the country has long relied on imported water (piped over the border from neighboring Malaysia's Johor River) to meet demand. But amid ongoing disgruntlement among Malaysian officials over the decades-old deal — and with Singapore's water use set to double by 2065 — self-sufficiency is a geopolitical priority. By connecting to the mainland at each end, Long Island would create a huge new reservoir, trapping freshwater that would otherwise be discharged into the sea. Switzer, who advises government agencies but is not directly involved in the project, said the proposal could make a 'major contribution' to Singapore's soaring water needs. 'The government is looking for as many wins as possible,' he added. 'It's not just about coastal defense.' Officials say they expect Long Island to take 'a few decades' to plan, design and implement. Once the land is reclaimed, it will then be years, or even decades, before it has settled enough to build on. Singapore's government is throwing its weight behind Long Island as an illustration of its long-term vision — a common theme in the island's politics. (The country's founding father and first prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew, famously said, 'I am calculating not in terms of the next election … I am calculating in terms of the next generation; in terms of the next 100 years; in terms of eternity.') Lee's eldest son and later prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong, said in 2019 that protecting the country against rising seas could take 100 billion Singapore dollars ($78 billion) over the next century. Earlier this year, his ruling People's Action Party — which has won every election since Singapore's independence in 1965 — featured Long Island prominently in its election manifesto, with the younger Lee's successor, Lawrence Wong, also personally backing the project. Land reclamation has always been central to Singapore's futureproofing efforts. The country's total area is, today, 25% larger than when colonialist Sir Stamford Raffles established it as a trading post for the British East India Company in the early 19th century. Indeed, the coast Long Island will be built off was itself reclaimed during the so-called 'Great Reclamation' of the 1960s and 1970s, when almost 6 square miles of new land, including a long stretch of beach, was created in the country's east. Land reclamation comes with its own political and environmental challenges, however. The process requires huge amounts of infill (Long Island would need 240 million metric tons of it, by one estimate) which traditionally consists of imported sand. But the major Southeast Asian exporters, Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia and Vietnam, have all at various times banned sand exports, citing environmental concerns over its excavation. Singapore is currently exploring alternatives that would reduce dependence on its neighbors. Research is currently underway, for instance, to see if ash from incinerated landfill could be used, alongside soil and construction debris, instead. Nature Society Singapore has meanwhile expressed a range of environmental concerns, including the impact of land reclamation on the area's horseshoe crabs, hawksbill turtles and nesting Malaysian plovers. Various other low-lying nations are — or are considering — using land reclamation to mitigate the effects of climate change. Indonesia's proposal for a giant seawall protecting its capital, Jakarta, remains mired in heated political debate more than a decade after the first plans were unveiled. Thailand and the Maldives are among the other countries to have suggested island-building as a response to rising sea levels. In Denmark, construction of a controversial 271-acre artificial peninsula protecting the capital, Copenhagen, from severe flooding began in 2022, though it is still the subject of ongoing protests. By contrast, there has been little significant opposition to Singapore's Long Island thus far. Flood resilience appears to be a priority in a country that has spent 2.5 billion Singapore dollars ($1.9 billion) improving its drainage infrastructure since 2011. The scheme may be the poster child for coastal resilience, but NTU's Switzer said the wider strategy could encompass everything from sediment realignment to 'nature-based solutions,' like building oyster beds or extending mangroves and offshore reefs. 'Long Island is just one part of a much, much bigger picture,' he added. 'As a low-lying nation, incredibly dependent on our coastline, it has to be at the forefront of everybody's thinking.'
The Sun
17-07-2025
- Business
- The Sun
One of the world's most famous hotels is opening a new £5.7billion resort – with 570 suites and rooftop pool
MARINA Bay Sands is undoubtedly one of the most famous hotels in the world - and now, the company behind the resort is planning another in Singapore. Las Vegas Sands - the company behind the iconic cruise ship-like hotel in Singapore - is planning a second resort for the country costing £5.7billion. 4 4 In total, the luxury resort will boast 570 suites and there will also be a hotel tower capped with a rooftop. The 76,000 square-foot 'Skyloop' - which will be similar to the Sands SkyPark at Marina Bay Sands - will have 360-degree views. On the lower levels, the public will be able to explore an observatory, restaurants and rooftop gardens. On higher levels, guests can access more private experiences such as private cabanas, infinity-edge pools and sprawling palm trees. And one major feature will be a cantilevered wellness terrace - essentially hanging in the air - for yoga, arts and other events. There is more too, as the hotel is expected to have a 15,000 seat arena, with the backdrop of Marina Bay, for live entertainment. Inside the hotel will also be a number of different dining experiences, shops, a gaming area, spa and wellness facilities. And it will be designed by the same firm that designed Sphere in Las Vegas and the O2 Arena in London. The entire hotel is expected to be tilted at a 45 degree angle to give guests amazing views of Marina Bay and the Singapore Strait. In total, the hotel will rise 55 stories into the air and a feature 'biophilic' design that aims to connect people with nature and enhance wellbeing. Luxury 794ft superyacht 'sea hotel' with five restaurants & mini-marina completes trial before first voyage this summer Construction on the resort is expected to finish in 2030. The resort will be designed by Safdie Architects and led by the same designers as Marina Bay Sands - Moshe Safdie. Patrick Dumont, Sands president and chief operating officer, said: "Our new development will raise the bar and redefine the ultra-luxury hospitality realm on a global scale, fuelling further growth of high-value tourism." The Marina Bay Sands hotel caters to more than one million guests each year. There has even been a BBC2 documentary on the hotel, presented by Giles Coren and Monica Galetti. The two presenters explored the hotel including the longest elevated infinity pool in the world - the size of three Olympic swimming pools - at the top of the hotel. Guests have claimed that the resort to be a "once-in-a-lifetime experience" and feeling more like "another world". 4 Another guest added: "My wife and I both felt like I was in the Barbie movie." A Sun reporter who went to Singapore a few years ago said: "For me, the place to be is Ce La Vi on the 57th floor of the majestic three-tower Marina Bay Sands hotel. "It offers fabulous views, especially at sunset." Ce La Vi is one of the hotels' 80 restaurants and is located on the rooftop, with a bar. Overall, the hotel has 2,560 rooms and cost £3.92 billion to build. Some of the world's craziest hotels have also been named - from Flintstones-like caves to a Barbie Dreamhouse. Plus, these are the luxury hotels crowned best in the world – and one is in the UK. 4
CNA
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CNA
CNA938 Rewind - Singapore Strait sees surge in maritime theft
CNA938 Rewind - Singapore Strait sees surge in maritime theft 50 sea robbery incidents have been reported in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore this year so far. It's a sharp rise from the 14 incidents recorded over the same period last year. Lance Alexander and Daniel Martin find out more from Toby Stephens, Head of the Global Crisis Management team, HFW. 13 mins CNA938 Rewind - On his first overseas trip, Australian PM Albanese touches down in Singapore Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will be in Singapore as part of his first international trip, after clinching a second term in office. Lance Alexander and Daniel Martin discuss with James Chin, Professor of Asian Studies, University of Tasmania, what could be on the agenda for Mr Albanese's stopover here. 10 mins CNA938 Rewind - Redefining Beachfront Retreats - the Story Behind Oshom Bali In 'Destination Anywhere', Melanie Oliveiro speaks to a luxury travel director in Europe who is now the founder of one of Bali's most buzzworthy openings of 2025. Daisy Angus, founder of Oshom Bali, talks about her brand new luxury beachfront boutique hotel located in the heart of Bali's Nuanu Creative City. Angus, who has a decade of experience in luxury hospitality, will recount the story behind Oshom: from its creative concept to fleshing-out its design-led experiences up to opening day. She'll also talk about how Nuanu Creative City is reshaping Bali's cultural and ecological landscape. 19 mins CNA938 Rewind - "To the Last Gram" - Putting Anorexia in the Spotlight using Comics In 'Culture Club', Melanie Oliveiro focuses on the local comic 'To the Last Gram', a fictional young adult coming-of-age story about living with an eating disorder (ED). Put out by publisher Difference Engine, 'To the Last Gram' is written by Shreya Davies and illustrated by Vanessa Wong. Written from the perspective of the protagonist Divya, the comic unpacks the lived experience of ED – how it impacts family members and affects those who grow up in diet-free households. Wong and Davies will also discuss Divya's emotional and mental journey via the captivating illustrations and unique writing style. 30 mins
CNA
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CNA
CNA938 Rewind - On his first overseas trip, Australian PM Albanese touches down in Singapore
CNA938 Rewind - Singapore Strait sees surge in maritime theft 50 sea robbery incidents have been reported in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore this year so far. It's a sharp rise from the 14 incidents recorded over the same period last year. Lance Alexander and Daniel Martin find out more from Toby Stephens, Head of the Global Crisis Management team, HFW. 13 mins CNA938 Rewind - On his first overseas trip, Australian PM Albanese touches down in Singapore Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will be in Singapore as part of his first international trip, after clinching a second term in office. Lance Alexander and Daniel Martin discuss with James Chin, Professor of Asian Studies, University of Tasmania, what could be on the agenda for Mr Albanese's stopover here. 10 mins CNA938 Rewind - Redefining Beachfront Retreats - the Story Behind Oshom Bali In 'Destination Anywhere', Melanie Oliveiro speaks to a luxury travel director in Europe who is now the founder of one of Bali's most buzzworthy openings of 2025. Daisy Angus, founder of Oshom Bali, talks about her brand new luxury beachfront boutique hotel located in the heart of Bali's Nuanu Creative City. Angus, who has a decade of experience in luxury hospitality, will recount the story behind Oshom: from its creative concept to fleshing-out its design-led experiences up to opening day. She'll also talk about how Nuanu Creative City is reshaping Bali's cultural and ecological landscape. 19 mins CNA938 Rewind - "To the Last Gram" - Putting Anorexia in the Spotlight using Comics In 'Culture Club', Melanie Oliveiro focuses on the local comic 'To the Last Gram', a fictional young adult coming-of-age story about living with an eating disorder (ED). Put out by publisher Difference Engine, 'To the Last Gram' is written by Shreya Davies and illustrated by Vanessa Wong. Written from the perspective of the protagonist Divya, the comic unpacks the lived experience of ED – how it impacts family members and affects those who grow up in diet-free households. Wong and Davies will also discuss Divya's emotional and mental journey via the captivating illustrations and unique writing style. 30 mins CNA938 Rewind - Teaching with a Twist - Meet Singapore's TikTok Educators In 'Made in SG', Melanie Oliveiro speaks with two local TikTok personalities - who double-up as educators - on the popular social media platform. BioGirl MJ (@justkeepthinking), co-founder and host of the science channel 'Just Keep Thinking' talks about how her lessons focus on bite-sized videos about science and wildlife. Math Tutor May (@maythematics) who is the founder of math tuition centre 'Maythematics', talks about her role as an educator and content creator who provides valuable tips and solutions to students. 32 mins
