Marina Barrage is a

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 ...

in southern

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 ...

built at the

confluence In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs where two or more flowing bodies of water join to form a single channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main stem); o ...

of five rivers, across the

Marina Channel Marina Channel is a waterway in southern Singapore that connects the Kallang Basin in the north and Marina Bay in the west to the Singapore Straits in the south. Formed as a result of land reclamation in the 1980s, the Marina Channel effective ...

between

Marina East Marina East is a planning area located in the Central Area of the Central Region of Singapore, covering of reclaimed land. It is the location of NTUC Club's Marina Bay Golf Course (formerly known as the Marina East Course) and the Gardens by ...

and

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 ...

. First conceptualised in 1987 by then

prime minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

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 ...

to help achieve greater self-sufficiency for the country's water needs, the barrage began construction on 22 March 2005, and was officially opened on 31 October 2008 as Singapore's fifteenth reservoir, 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 ...

. It provides water storage, flood control and recreation. It won a Superior Achievement Award from the

American Academy of Environmental Engineers The American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists (AAEES) is a society of professional engineers and scientists who have demonstrated special expertise in environmental engineering or science beyond that normally required for professio ...

in 2009. It also turned the previously

salt water Saline water (more commonly known as salt water) is water that contains a high concentration of dissolved salts (mainly sodium chloride). On the United States Geological Survey (USGS) salinity scale, saline water is saltier than brackish water, ...

Singapore River The Singapore River is a river that flows parallel to Alexandra Road and feeds into the Marina Reservoir in the southern part of Singapore. The immediate upper watershed of the Singapore River is known as the Singapore River Planning Area, altho ...

into

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 ...

for the first time in its history.

Purpose

The S$3 billion project, with $226 million for the structure itself, turned Marina Bay 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 ...

into a new downtown

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 ...

. It provides water supply,

flood control Flood control methods are used to reduce or prevent the detrimental effects of flood waters."Flood Control", MSN Encarta, 2008 (see below: Further reading). Flood relief methods are used to reduce the effects of flood waters or high water level ...

and a new lifestyle attraction. After its opening, the Marina Barrage quickly became a

tourist attraction A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or an exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement. Types Places of natural b ...

not long after. By keeping out seawater, the barrage formed Singapore's 15th reservoir and first reservoir in the city. Marina Reservoir, together with the future

Punggol Punggol, alternatively spelled as Ponggol, is a Planning Areas of Singapore, planning area and New towns of Singapore, new town situated on the Tanjong Punggol peninsula in the North-East Region, Singapore, North-East Region of Singapore. The to ...

and

Serangoon Serangoon () is a planning area and residential town located in the North-East Region of Singapore. Serangoon is bordered by these planning areas – Sengkang to the north, Hougang to the east, Ang Mo Kio and Bishan to the west, as well as ...

reservoirs, increased Singapore's water catchment areas by one-sixth of Singapore's total land area. Marina Barrage also acts as a tidal barrier to keep seawater out, helping to alleviate flooding in high-risk low-lying areas of the downtown districts such as

Chinatown A Chinatown () is an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Austra ...

Jalan Besar Jalan Besar (; literally "Large Road" in Malay, but taken to mean "Main Road") is a one-way road in Singapore, connecting Lavender Street in Kallang and Rochor Canal Road in Rochor. See also *Jalan Besar Stadium Jalan Besar Stadium, officia ...

and

Geylang Geylang is a planning area and township located on the eastern fringe of the Central Region of Singapore, bordering Hougang and Toa Payoh in the north, Marine Parade in the south, Bedok in the east, and Kallang in the west. Geylang is perha ...

. When it rains heavily during low-tide, the barrage's crest gates will be lowered to release excess water from the

coastal reservoir Coastal reservoir is a type of reservoir to store fresh water on sea coast area near a river delta. Saemanguem in South Korea, Marina Barrage in Singapore, Qingcaosha and Plover Cove in China, Delta Works in Netherlands, Thanneermukkom Bund in In ...

into the sea. If heavy rain falls during high-tide, the crest gates remain closed and giant drainage pumps are activated to pump excess water out to sea. As the water in the Marina Basin is unaffected by the tides, the water level will be kept constant, making it ideal for all kinds of recreational activities such as boating,

windsurfing Windsurfing is a wind propelled water sport that is a combination of sailing and surfing. It is also referred to as "sailboarding" and "boardsailing", and emerged in the late 1960s from the aerospace and surf culture of California. Windsurfing ga ...

kayaking Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving over water. It is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle. A kayak is a low-to-the-water, canoe-like boat in which the paddler sits fac ...

and dragonboating.

Impact

The building of the Marina Barrage required the relocation of

Clifford Pier Clifford Pier was a former pier located beside Collyer Quay at Marina Bay within the Downtown Core of the Central Area, Singapore. The pier, which opened in 1933, ceased operations in 2006. In 2008 the site was converted into a restaurant, One ...

from

Collyer Quay Collyer Quay () is a road in Downtown Core, Singapore that starts after Fullerton Road and ends at the junction of Raffles Quay, Finlayson Green and Marina Boulevard. The road houses several landmarks namely, Clifford Pier, Change Alley, Hit ...

(see

Marina South Pier Marina South Pier is a pier that is located in Marina South, Singapore. It is used as a terminal for tourists and day-trippers who are boarding small boats and ferries heading for the Southern Islands. There are regular ferries from the pier to K ...

). It has proved to be a tourist attraction. Marina Barrage is open for viewing 24/7. The information counter is open from 9.00am to 9.00pm daily. Tours for a maximum capacity of 80 people to the Visitor Centre can be arranged prior to arrival. From 2012 onward, it played host to annual public youth community and cosplay event

EOY Cosplay Festival EOY Cosplay Festival, also known as the "End of Year" Cosplay Festival, is a Japanese pop-cultural arts event that is non-profit and fan-run multigenre convention featuring anime, cosplay, doujin works, subculture fashion and Japanese pop mus ...

Awards

The Marina Barrage was conferred the Superior Achievement Award – the highest honour of the competition for the best project entry - at the AAEE Annual Awards Luncheon held in Washington, DC, USA on 6 May 2009. The Marina Barrage beat 33 other entries to take home the top prize in this year's competition organised by the

(AAEE), becoming the second project outside of USA to win the award, in the last decade.

Gallery

Image:Marina Barrage Panorama.jpg, Kite-flying is a popular pastime on the barrage Image:View from Marina Barrage.jpg, Singapore downtown skyline as seen from the Marina Barrage Image:Wiki marina barrage.jpg, The Marina Bridge Image:Marina_Barrage_Bridge.jpg, The bridge holds the press gates that control water flow Image:Marina_Barrage_Depth_Mark.jpg, Depth markings present on the observation piers Image:Marina_Barrage_Pump_House.jpg, The Pump House in the background contains the seven massive water pumps Image:Marina_Barrage_Solar_Park.jpg, The Solar Park which provides additional electrical power for the site Image:Marina_Barrage_Solar_Panels.jpg, The solar panels in the Solar Park Image:Green_Roof.jpg, The Green Roof Image:Main Bldg.jpg, The Pump House Image:Marina_Barrage_east_end.jpg, Marina Barrage viewed from its east end. Image:Marina Barrage Fountains at Night.jpg, Fountains at the Marina Barrage during night time. File:Marina Barrage 300522.jpg, Marina Barrage 300522 File:Marina Barrage Open Field 300522.jpg, Marina Barrage Open Field 300522 File:Singapore CBD Sunset.jpg, Singapore CBD Sunset from Marina Barrage

References

External links

Official Page

Paragraph 2Diagram 2, Drainage PumpSub-heading:Flood Control, Para 3AAEE ACN Newswire
{{Major Tourist Attractions in Singapore Dams in Singapore Marina Bay, Singapore Marina East Marina South Barrages (dam) Dams completed in 2008 2008 establishments in Singapore