Potential Land Loss on Two Islands in Singapore with a Future Rising Sea

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K. Santosh
T.S. Teh
D.K. Raju
J. Chandrasekar

Abstract

The Southern Islands comprises an urban planning area in the Central Region of Singapore and is made up of the islands of Kusu, Lazarus, Seringat, Tekukor, St. John, Sentosa and the Sister Islands. The islands had largely been expanded by land reclamation in the 1970s to create recreational space, beaches and swimming lagoons. The new coastlines are armoured by large quarry stones. Other than Sentosa, the rest of the islands are as yet undeveloped and remain as weekend destinations. As part of the Singapore Tourism Board’s plan to develop the Southern Islands beyond Sentosa, a second phase of land reclamation was started in 2000 to link Seringat, Lazarus and St John. Recent suggestions include turning Lazarus Island into a getaway for the super-rich or housing a casino. The small Kusu is an important pilgrimage island for both the Chinese and Malays and will probably remain so in future. However, whatever development or non-development is planned for Lazarus or Kusu, the impacts of a future rising sea must be addressed regarding the sustainability of the two islands. Reclamation that took place in the 1970s as in Kusu was before concern about global warming. Consequently, the crest of sea walls and platform levels of reclaimed land are low and vulnerable to wave overtopping and inundation during extreme high tides. The newly-reclaimed Lazarus Island with higher platforms and sea walls tells a different story. Inundation analyses using Geographic Information System for different time frames carried out under A2 emission scenario for Lazarus and Kusu suggest that although the two islands tell different tales, nevertheless extra care must be taken in developing or sustaining both islands to avoid future problems.

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How to Cite
Santosh, K., Teh, T., Raju, D., & Chandrasekar, J. (2014). Potential Land Loss on Two Islands in Singapore with a Future Rising Sea. International Journal of Geoinformatics, 10(3). Retrieved from https://journals.sfu.ca/ijg/index.php/journal/article/view/436
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Articles
Author Biography

K. Santosh, Tropical Marine Science Institute, National University of Singapore 12A, Kent Ridge Road Singapore 119223

Tropical Marine Science Institute, National University of Singapore 12A, Kent Ridge Road Singapore 119223