Singapore seeks proposals on coastal protection and flood management 

SINGAPORE’s national water agency is looking for innovative solutions to support the island country’s coastal protection and flood management efforts. 

The request-for-proposal, which was launched on Thursday (Jun 20) by PUB, will focus on solutions in five areas, namely sustainable materials, smart structural health monitoring, decision-making for adaptive planning, innovative solutions, and sensors for sediment transport. This grant call comes under a S$125 million research programme on coastal protection and flood management. The programme was established in 2023 to support the country’s climate adaptation efforts. 

In 2019, former prime minister Lee Hsien Loong said that Singapore would need to spend S$100 billion over the next 100 years to protect against rising sea levels. The government has since put S$5 billion towards a coastal and flood protection fund.

PUB said in a media release on Thursday that one of the focus areas is sustainable construction materials that could be used for coastal protection structures.

Singapore has more than 300 km of coastlines, which require extensive coastal protection infrastructure. There is a need to source for sustainable materials that are durable and can have a long service life in the dynamic coastal environment. The materials also need to be high-strength but lightweight to facilitate the retrofitting of existing coastal protection structures against rising sea levels. 

This grant call is open to universities and polytechnics, public-sector entities, and private-sector companies based in Singapore. Those interested are required to submit their proposals by 4 pm on Aug 6. 

Separately, PUB also announced on the same day that it has launched a tender for the third phase of its expansion plans for the water reclamation plant in Changi. The tender for this third phase of expansion would be for professional engineering services. 

The construction is expected to cost about S$2 billion and will include new facilities such as an additional influent pumping station, liquids treatment modules and a biosolids treatment facility, said PUB. 

The appointed consultant will be required to conduct a series of engineering studies, including a long-term plan for the plant’s future expansion, as well as an environmental assessment to evaluate the potential impact caused by the construction and subsequent operation of the expanded plant. 

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The project is scheduled to be completed in the mid-2030s and is aimed at meeting the projected increase in used-water flow from industries in the eastern part of Singapore. “The expansion is in line with PUB’s efforts to maintain our water systems and to invest in water infrastructure, to meet rising demand for used-water treatment and to ensure a sustainable used-water system for Singapore,” said PUB. 

The used-water treatment capacity at the Changi plant will increase by up to 96 million gallons per day (mgd) once completed. That is equivalent to 175 Olympic-sized swimming pools. The plant has a current treatment capacity of 224 mgd, and is undergoing its second phase of expansion, which is expected to be completed by the end of this year.