The Singapore River is a
river
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...
that flows parallel to Alexandra Road and feeds into the
Marina Reservoir
The Marina Reservoir is a reservoir in Singapore formed in 2008 by building a dam across the mouth of the Marina Channel. With the completion of the Marina Barrage on 30 October 2008, the reservoir, which contained mainly salt water, became freshw ...
in the southern part of
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
. The immediate upper
watershed of the Singapore River is known as the Singapore River Planning Area, although the western part of the watershed is classified under the
River Valley
A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...
planning area.
Singapore River planning area sits within the
Central Area of the
Central Region of
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
, as defined by the
Urban Redevelopment Authority
The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) is the national urban planning authority of Singapore, and a statutory board under the Ministry of National Development of the Government of Singapore.
Mission
The authority was established on 1 Apri ...
. The planning area shares boundaries with the following –
River Valley
A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...
and
Museum
A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...
to the south,
Tanglin
Tanglin is a planning area located within the Central Region of Singapore. Tanglin is located west of Newton, Orchard, River Valley and Singapore River, south of Novena, east of Bukit Timah, northeast of Queenstown and north of Bukit Merah.
...
and
Bukit Merah to the west,
Outram to the south and the
Downtown Core
The Downtown Core is the historical and downtown centre of the city-state of Singapore and the main commercial area in Singapore excluding reclaimed lands with many integrated resorts such as the Marina Bay Sands, one of the most expensive build ...
to the east.
Since 2008, the Singapore River was turned into a
fresh water
Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does include ...
river after the completion of the
Marina Barrage
Marina Barrage is a dam in southern Singapore built at the confluence of five rivers, across the Marina Channel between Marina East and Marina South.
First conceptualised in 1987 by then prime minister Lee Kuan Yew to help achieve greater sel ...
at
Marina South
Marina South is a planning area located within the Central Area of the Central Region of Singapore. It is largely home to Gardens by the Bay as well as the Marina Barrage. The name has also been used to refer to the larger peninsula the plannin ...
.
Geography
The Singapore River is approximately 3.2 kilometers long from its
source
Source may refer to:
Research
* Historical document
* Historical source
* Source (intelligence) or sub source, typically a confidential provider of non open-source intelligence
* Source (journalism), a person, publication, publishing institute o ...
at Kim Seng Bridge to where it empties into
Marina Bay; the
river
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...
extends more than two kilometers beyond its original source at Kim Seng Bridge as
Alexandra Canal, as far as the junction of Commonwealth Avenue.
History
The mouth of the Singapore River was the old
Port of Singapore
The Port of Singapore refers to the collective facilities and terminals that conduct maritime trade and handles Singapore's harbours and shipping. It has been ranked as the top maritime capital of the world since 2015. Currently the world's se ...
, being naturally sheltered by the southern islands. Historically, the city of Singapore initially grew around the port so the river mouth became the centre of trade, commerce and finance.
Old maps of the river state that it actually originates from Bukit Larangan (currently
Fort Canning Hill
Fort Canning Hill, formerly Government Hill, Singapore Hill and Bukit Larangan (''Forbidden Hill'' in Malay), is a small hill, about high, in the southeast portion of the island city-state of Singapore, within the Central Area that forms Si ...
).
Heavy traffic
![Office Buildings Along Singapore River, March 2021](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/Office_Buildings_Along_Singapore_River%2C_March_2021.jpg)
Starting in 1819, there was heavy traffic on the Singapore River due to rapid
urbanization
Urbanization (or urbanisation) refers to the population shift from rural to urban areas, the corresponding decrease in the proportion of people living in rural areas, and the ways in which societies adapt to this change. It is predominantly t ...
and expanding
trade
Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market.
An early form of trade, barter, saw the direct excha ...
. At the same time, it brought in
water pollution
Water pollution (or aquatic pollution) is the contamination of water bodies, usually as a result of human activities, so that it negatively affects its uses. Water bodies include lakes, rivers, oceans, aquifers, reservoirs and groundwater. Water ...
caused by the disposal of garbage,
sewage
Sewage (or domestic sewage, domestic wastewater, municipal wastewater) is a type of wastewater that is produced by a community of people. It is typically transported through a sewer system. Sewage consists of wastewater discharged from residenc ...
and other by-products of industries located along the river's
banks
A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets.
Becaus ...
. The sources of water pollution into the Singapore River and
Kallang Basin
Kallang Basin (; ms, Lembangan Kallang) is an enclosed bay in Kallang, Singapore. The Kallang River, Rochor River and Geylang River empty into the Kallang Basin. The Marina Channel connects the Kallang Basin with the Singapore Straits.
At pr ...
included waste from
pig
The pig (''Sus domesticus''), often called swine, hog, or domestic pig when distinguishing from other members of the genus '' Sus'', is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is variously considered a subspecies of ''Sus ...
and
duck
Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfamilies, they are a form t ...
farms, unsewered premises, street hawkers and
vegetable
Vegetables are parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. The original meaning is still commonly used and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including the flowers, fruits, stems, ...
whole sellers.
Riverine
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...
activities such as transport,
boat building
Boat building is the design and construction of boats and their systems. This includes at a minimum a hull, with propulsion, mechanical, navigation, safety and other systems as a craft requires.
Construction materials and methods
Wood
W ...
and repairs were also found along the Singapore River.
Some 750
lighters
A lighter is a portable device which creates a flame, and can be used to ignite a variety of items, such as cigarettes, gas lighter, fireworks, candles or campfires. It consists of a metal or plastic container filled with a flammable liquid or ...
plied
In the textile arts, plying (from the French verb ''plier'', "to fold", from the Latin verb ''plico'', from the ancient Greek verb .) is a process of twisting one or more strings (called strands) of yarn together to create a stronger yarn. Strands ...
along the Singapore River and Kallang Basin in 1977. Waste,
oil spill
An oil spill is the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment, especially the marine ecosystem, due to human activity, and is a form of pollution. The term is usually given to marine oil spills, where oil is released into th ...
s and
wastewater
Wastewater is water generated after the use of freshwater, raw water, drinking water or saline water in a variety of deliberate applications or processes. Another definition of wastewater is "Used water from any combination of domestic, industr ...
from these boats and lighters added to the pollution of the rivers. In 1977, Prime Minister
Lee Kuan Yew
Lee Kuan Yew (16 September 1923 – 23 March 2015), born Harry Lee Kuan Yew, often referred to by his initials LKY, was a Singaporean lawyer and statesman who served as Prime Minister of Singapore between 1959 and 1990, and Secretary-General o ...
called for a clean up of Singapore's rivers, which included the Singapore River and the
Kallang River
The Kallang River (, ms, Sungei Kallang) is the longest river in Singapore, flowing for 10 kilometers. from the Lower Peirce Reservoir (originally named "Kallang River Reservoir") to the Kallang Basin. It originates in the planning ...
. The clean up cost the government $300 million at the time and involved a relocation of about 4,000
squatters
Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estimated in 2003 that there ...
, along with hawkers and vegetable sellers, whose daily waste flowed into the river. Public housing was found for the squatters, while street hawkers were persuaded to move to established hawker centres. The government then completely dredged foul-smelling mud from the banks and the bottom of the river, clearing the debris and other rubbish.
Singapore River today
Due to such cleaning efforts, the Singapore River has significantly changed from one that was heavily busy and polluted to one that is clean with marine animals. The re-emergence of
monitor lizard
Monitor lizards are lizards in the genus ''Varanus,'' the only extant genus in the family Varanidae. They are native to Africa, Asia, and Oceania, and one species is also found in the Americas as an invasive species. About 80 species are recogn ...
s and
otters
Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic, or marine, with diets based on fish and invertebrates. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which also includes wea ...
in the Singapore River has been attributed to the success of the river's cleanup.
Whereas the original mouth of the Singapore River emptied into
Singapore Straits
The Singapore Strait is a , strait between the Strait of Malacca in the west and the South China Sea in the east. Singapore is on the north of the channel, and the Indonesian Riau Islands are on the south. The two countries share a maritime ...
and its southern islands before major
land reclamation
Land reclamation, usually known as reclamation, and also known as land fill (not to be confused with a waste landfill), is the process of creating new land from oceans, seas, riverbeds or lake beds. The land reclaimed is known as reclamati ...
took place, the Singapore River now empties into Marina Bay – an area of water partially enclosed by the reclamation work.
The
Port of Singapore
The Port of Singapore refers to the collective facilities and terminals that conduct maritime trade and handles Singapore's harbours and shipping. It has been ranked as the top maritime capital of the world since 2015. Currently the world's se ...
is now located to the west of the island, using most of the south-west coast, and passenger ships to Singapore now typically berth at the
Singapore Cruise Centre
The Singapore Cruise Centre ( abbrev: SCC; Chinese: 新加坡邮轮中心) is a cruise terminal located in the south of Singapore next to HarbourFront Centre in the vicinity of HarbourFront and in Keppel Harbour, near HarbourFront MRT statio ...
at
Harbourfront Harbourfront may refer to:
* Harbourfront (Toronto), a neighbourhood in Toronto
** 509 Harbourfront, Toronto streetcar route
**Harbourfront Centre, cultural organization on the waterfront of Toronto
* HarbourFront (Singapore), waterfront site in Si ...
. Thus the Singapore River's economic role has shifted away from one that of trade, towards more a role accommodated for
tourism
Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...
and aesthetics for the commercial zone which encloses it. Traversing across the river is available via
water taxis
A water taxi or a water bus is a watercraft used to provide public or private transport, usually, but not always, in an urban environment. Service may be scheduled with multiple stops, operating in a similar manner to a bus, or o ...
.
The river is now part of the
Marina Reservoir
The Marina Reservoir is a reservoir in Singapore formed in 2008 by building a dam across the mouth of the Marina Channel. With the completion of the Marina Barrage on 30 October 2008, the reservoir, which contained mainly salt water, became freshw ...
after damming the Singapore River at its outlet to the sea to create a new
reservoir
A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation.
Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...
of
freshwater
Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does include ...
. The
dam
A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...
is known as the
Marina Barrage
Marina Barrage is a dam in southern Singapore built at the confluence of five rivers, across the Marina Channel between Marina East and Marina South.
First conceptualised in 1987 by then prime minister Lee Kuan Yew to help achieve greater sel ...
.
Sculptures
There are a number of sculptures along the Singapore River. Many of these depict the life of people living and working along the river during the early days of Singapore.
Notable sculptures include:
*First Generation, made by
Chong Fah Cheong
Chong Fah Cheong () is a Singaporean sculptor known for many public sculptures in Singapore. He is considered as one of Singapore’s pioneer sculptors and was awarded the Cultural Medallion, Singapore's pinnacle arts award in 2014. Though he w ...
*Fishing at Singapore River, made by
Chern Lian Shan
*The River Merchants, made by
Aw Tee Hong
Aw Tee Hong () is a Singaporean artist who is known for his oil paintings of the old Singapore River, as well as for numerous public sculptures themed towards Singapore heritage, like the marble relief titled ''Singapore Poetry'' found in Ta ...
*A Great Emporium, made by
Malcolm Koh
Malcolm, Malcom, Máel Coluim, or Maol Choluim may refer to:
People
* Malcolm (given name), includes a list of people and fictional characters
* Clan Malcolm
* Maol Choluim de Innerpeffray, 14th-century bishop-elect of Dunkeld
Nobility
* Máel ...
*From Chettiars to Financiers, made by Chern Lian Shan
*
Singapura Cats, made by various artists
Bridges and tunnels
![Photographic Views of Singapore Plate 04 Collyer Quay](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c1/Photographic_Views_of_Singapore_Plate_04_Collyer_Quay.jpg)
Between 1819, when the first wooden jetty and the first bridge were built over the Singapore River in Singapore, and in 2015, 14 bridges were built across the river (or 17, although the
Marina Reservoir
The Marina Reservoir is a reservoir in Singapore formed in 2008 by building a dam across the mouth of the Marina Channel. With the completion of the Marina Barrage on 30 October 2008, the reservoir, which contained mainly salt water, became freshw ...
, where the estuary is now located, is considered a Singapore River). Until 1819, the river could only be crossed by boats and ferries. Some of the bridges were demolished and rebuilt or their purpose was changed.
The first bridge in Singapore was build over the Singapore river in 1819 where the Elgin Bridge now stands. There have been two Elgin bridges at some point. The first iron-made Elgin Bridge was built in 1862 and named after
Lord Elgin
Earl of Elgin is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, created in 1633 for Thomas Bruce, 3rd Lord Kinloss. He was later created Baron Bruce, of Whorlton in the County of York, in the Peerage of England on 30 July 1641. The Earl of Elgin is the ...
. It was later demolished and replaced with the current Elgin bridge in 1926.
Other bridges along the river include the Coleman Bridge (1840), Kim Seng Bridge (1862), Cavenagh Bridge (1869) or Read Bridge (1889). The most recent bridges are the Helix Bridge (2010), Bayfront Bridge (2010) and the Jubilee Bridge (2015).
![River view at Clarke Quay (440639243)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7f/River_view_at_Clarke_Quay_%28440639243%29.jpg)
*
Coleman Bridge
The George P. Coleman Memorial Bridge (known locally as simply the Coleman Bridge) is a double swing bridge that spans the York River between Yorktown and Gloucester Point, in the United States state of Virginia. It connects the Peninsula and ...
(1840/1985)
*
Kim Seng Bridge
Kim Seng Bridge is a road bridge in Singapore River. Singapore. The bridge is named after Tan Kim Seng, who was a Singaporean businessman and philanthropist from the Peranakan ethnic group.
In 1862 Tan Kim Seng erected the first bridge on the sit ...
(1862)
*
Elgin Bridge (1862/1926)
*
Cavenagh Bridge (1870)
*
Ord Bridge
Ord or ORD may refer to:
Places
* Ord of Caithness, landform in north-east Scotland
* Ord, Nebraska, USA
* Ord, Northumberland, England
* Muir of Ord, village in Highland, Scotland
* Ord, Skye, a place near Tarskavaig
* Ord River, Western Austr ...
(1886)
*
Read Bridge (1889)
*
Pulau Saigon Bridge (1890)
*
Anderson Bridge (1910)
*
Clemenceau Bridge
The Clemenceau Bridge is a pre-stressed concrete road bridge across the Singapore River in Singapore. The first bridge was opened in 1940 and was refurbished in 1991. It was named after French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau, who visited Singapo ...
(1940)
*
East West MRT line
The East West line (EWL) is a high-capacity Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line operated by SMRT in Singapore, running from Pasir Ris station in the east to Tuas Link station in the west, with an additional branch between Changi Airport and Tana ...
and
North South MRT line
The North-South line (NSL) is a high-capacity Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line in Singapore, operated by SMRT Corporation. Coloured red on the Singapore rail map, the line is long and serves 27 stations, 11 of which, between the Bishan and M ...
between City Hall and Raffles Place (1987/1989)
![Aerial Panorama of Merlion Park and its surrounds](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/Aerial_Panorama_of_Merlion_Park_and_its_surrounds.jpg)
*
Esplanade Bridge (1997)
*
Jiak Kim Bridge
The Jiak Kim Bridge () is a pedestrian bridge in Singapore. The bridge spans the Singapore River near Robertson Quay
Robertson Quay is a wharf near the source of the Singapore River. It is the largest and most upstream of the three wharfs (th ...
(1999)
*
Robertson Bridge
Robertson may refer to:
People
* Robertson (surname) (includes a list of people with this name)
* Robertson (given name)
* Clan Robertson, a Scottish clan
* Robertson, stage name of Belgian magician Étienne-Gaspard Robert (1763–1837)
Places ...
(1998)
*
Benjamin Sheares Bridge
The Benjamin Sheares Bridge (; ms, Jambatan Benjamin Sheares; ta, பென்ஜமின் ஷியர்ஸ் பாலம்) is the longest bridge in Singapore, spanning 1.8 km, and the tallest, at .
It is named after Benjamin Sheares ...
(1981)
*
Alkaff Bridge
Alkaff Bridge is a pedestrian bridge in Singapore. It spans the Singapore River at Robertson Quay, located in the Singapore River planning area within the Central Area.
The steel truss bridge is 55 metres in length and weighs about 230 tonnes ...
(1999)
*
North East MRT line
The North East MRT line (NEL) is a high-capacity Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line in Singapore. Operated by SBS Transit, it is the shortest MRT line at . The line runs from HarbourFront station in southern Singapore to Punggol station in the n ...
between Clarke Quay and Dhoby Ghaut (2003)
*
Helix Bridge
The Helix Bridge, officially The Helix, and previously known as the Double Helix Bridge, is a pedestrian bridge linking Marina Centre with Marina South in the Marina Bay area in Singapore. It was officially opened on 24 April 2010, however, on ...
(2010)
*
Bayfront Bridge (2010)
*
Downtown MRT line
zh, 滨海市区地铁线 ta, டவுன்டவுன் எம்ஆர்டி வழி
, color =
, logo = Downtown Line logo.svg
, logo_width = 250px
, image = DT17 Downtown Platform B 1.jpg
, i ...
and
Circle MRT line between Promenade and Bayfront (2012)
*
Jubilee Bridge (2015)
*
Downtown MRT line
zh, 滨海市区地铁线 ta, டவுன்டவுன் எம்ஆர்டி வழி
, color =
, logo = Downtown Line logo.svg
, logo_width = 250px
, image = DT17 Downtown Platform B 1.jpg
, i ...
between Fort Canning and Chinatown (2017)
Gallery
File:Bird Sculpture in front of UOB Plaza, Dec 05.JPG, Bird Sculpture by Fernando Botero
File:Singapore River Stamford Raffles Statue.jpg, Statue of Stamford Raffles
File:A Great Emporium (2002) by Malcolm Koh, Asian Civilisations Museum, Singapore - 20060114.jpg, ''A Great Emporium'' by Malcolm Koh
File:The First Generation (2000) by Chong Fah Cheong, Cavenagh Bridge, Singapore - 20051203.jpg, ''The First Generation'' by Chong Fah Cheong
File:Dalhousie Obelisk 2, Jan 06.JPG, The Dalhousie Obelisk
File:The River Merchants (2003) by Aw Tee Hong, Cavenagh Bridge, Singapore - 20060530.jpg, ''The River Merchants'' by Aw Tee Hong
References
External links
*
*
{{Coord, 1, 17, 15, N, 103, 51, 11, E, display=title, region:SG_type:river
Rivers of Singapore
Squatting in Singapore