CIVIL & STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING
HDB’s innovations turn water surfaces into green pockets For the in-house development of the floating wetlands system and freshwater-tolerant mangroves, and their successful application at MyWaterway@Punggol, the Housing & Development Board (HDB) won the IES Prestigious Engineering Achievement Award 2016, in the Applied Research Category.
GREENING MYWATERWAY@PUNGGOL In 2011, HDB announced the plan to develop Punggol as Singapore’s first eco-town. A holistic and comprehensive Sustainable Development (SD) framework, covering social, economic and environmental considerations, was devised to steer the development of the eco-town. One of the desired SD outcomes is ‘enhanced greenery and biodiversity’. To achieve this outcome, and since Punggol is also positioned as a 'living laboratory' for testing new urban solutions, the HDB team explored innovative ways to intensify greenery for MyWaterway@Punggol which, at 4.2 km in length, is the nation’s first and longest man-made waterway. It meanders through Punggol eco-town, providing a good base for HDB to test-bed eco-friendly features and sustainability-driven solutions to improve water quality, enhance the riverbank and promote biodiversity. Accordingly, freshwater-tolerant mangroves and the floating wetlands system were developed, in-house, by HDB’s Building & Research Institute. Whilst achieving the above objectives, they also serve to transform the waterway into a picturesque landmark of Punggol.
CULTIVATION OF FRESHWATER-TOLERANT MANGROVES
The introduction of freshwater-tolerant mangroves helps to fortify and stabilise the riverbank, by leveraging the natural ability of the roots of these shrubs and trees to bind soil effectively.
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MyWaterway@Punggol is the nation’s first and longest man-made waterway.
Freshwater-tolerant mangroves fortify and stabilise the riverbank.
The carefully cultivated mangroves comprising 35 species, including some endangered ones native to Singapore, were tested and proven to be resilient in the freshwater conditions of the waterway. Today, MyWaterway@ Punggol has become the first and only man-made site in Singapore where visitors can see such a large variety of native freshwater-tolerant
THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER October 2016
mangroves. Once established, the roots of the mangroves will gradually stabilise the slope of the waterway embankments and cleanse the water naturally. The foliage from mangroves has provided some green shade from the tropical weather, reduced ambient temperature and enhanced thermal comfort for visitors and residents of Pung-