Singapore Blue-Greening its Grey Infrastructure
Singapore’s Public Utilities Board (PUB) is integrating Blue-Green Infrastructure features into existing grey infrastructure to not only manage extreme weather but also bring people closer to water.
With climate change projected to increase the intensity of rainfall events and overwhelm the city’s drainage system leading to flash floods, PUB’s Active, Beautiful, Clean (ABC) Waters program is implementing a range of blue-green infrastructure initiatives across the city-state to help slow down run-off and prevent localized flooding.
In addition to creating new blue-green infrastructure features, the ABC Waters program is also integrating blue-green infrastructure into existing grey infrastructure.
More than just water
Further to enhancing resilience to extreme weather events, the ABC Waters program aims to:
- Open up water bodies for community and recreational use
- Provide more engaging and experiential ways for the public to learn about water
- Encourage the public to become guardians of Singapore’s water resources
A green+grey infrastructure project
In 2009, a heavy downpour caused a diversion canal from the main Bukit Timah canal to burst its banks, with floodwater partially submerging the ground floor of buildings and cars.
To prevent further localized flooding, PUB has, over the past two years, undertaken improvement work on the 3.2 km-long Bukit Timah First Diversion Canal. This work has also included a $3.9 million ABC Waters project.
The ABC Waters project is along an 800 meter-long stretch of the canal with blue-green infrastructure features including three rain gardens, designed to improve the quality of the water flowing into the canal, as well as new shelters, benches, fitness equipment, a wetland, and paths for jogging and cycling. Rock walls and creeper plants will also line the canal banks.
Conclusion
Cities can integrate blue-green infrastructure with existing grey infrastructure to enhance resilience to climate change and bring people closer to nature.