Singapore River
Encyclopedia
The Singapore River is a river
in Singapore
with great historical importance. The Singapore River flows from the Central Area
, which lies in the Central Region
in the southern part of Singapore before emptying into the ocean
. The immediate upper watershed
of the Singapore River is known as the Singapore River Planning Area, although the northernmost part of the watershed becomes River Valley
. As the Central Area is treated as a central business district
, nearly all land surrounding it is commercial. It is one of about 90 rivers in Singapore and its islands. It is the place where Raffles made as the 1st trading port in Singapore. The Singapore River is the most famous river in Singapore.
at Kim Seng Bridge to its mouth at the Esplanade
where it empties into the Marina Channel and finally the Singapore Strait
; the waterway extends more than two kilometers beyond its original source at Kim Seng Bridge as Alexandra Canal
, as far as the junction of Commonwealth Avenue. Here there is a break with Buona Vista Road where Sungei Ulu Pandan starts and flows into Sungei Pandan which in turn flows into the sea at West Coast Park
. Thus, the source of both these waterways is in the Queenstown
, Ridout Road Estate and Tanglin Halt area near Margaret Drive.
, 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
. To this day, area around the old Singapore River mouth, the Downtown Core
, remains the most expensive and economically important piece of land in Singapore.
At one time, Singapore River was the very lifeblood of the colony
, the trade
artery, the center of commercial
activity, the heart of entrepot
trade, the vessel of importance, the capillaries of life and the place which was frequented by the secret societies, the swaylos (Cantonese for coolie
s who worked on a boat) and the coolies who worked for the philanthropist
Tan Tock Seng
at Ellenborough Market and the towkay (Hokkien
for business owner) Tan Kim Seng
who was busy filling his godown
with the riches of the East.
Singapore River is where the colourful and romantic history of the river and the myth
s and legend
s can still conjure up memories of the lighters
, bumboats, tongkangs with their painted eyes to see the danger ahead and sampan
s of yesteryear. This is where the Malayan
prince
s once sailed and this is where the bullock
cart
s plodded their way up and down each bank as the river found its way to the former rocky
river mouth. This is also where an early civilisation was conquered by the Java
nese Majapahit Empire
, in the year 1376.
It was here that the Chinese
lived, on the south bank, the Malays in kampongs further upstream, and the India
ns used to reside until the Chinese forced them out to Rochor
, Kallang
and Geylang
.
Some of the temple
s, shrine
s and other places of worship still stand in the vicinity of the river. So too are the godowns, the bridge
s such as Anderson Bridge
, Elgin Bridge
and Cavenagh Bridge
, the Merlion
, the shophouse
s, and the large trees such as Banyan
and Madras Thorn. Some parts of this area include quays such as Clarke Quay
, Boat Quay
and Robertson Quay
, which generated trade and extensive demand
for services with the boats that landed at the quays. Boat Quay itself was handling three quarters of the shipping
service in the 1860s. Shophouse
s and warehouse
s flourished around the quays due to their proximity to trade during the colonial era, but presently house various bars
, pubs
and restaurants, as well as antique shops.
The river still borders places where seamen and others, for example, near Raffles Landing Place, made offerings and burned their joss
sticks. Poles with streamers flying were once used to tie up the barge
s as the water lapped against the old stone
step
s and walls.
Sir Stamford Raffles lost no time after January 1819, when he landed on Singapore River among the orang laut
and the human skull
s, the victims of river pirates, in bargaining with the Temenggong, the Johor
chief who then ruled the place, having settled in 1811. At the very moment of landing, Raffles must have realised the importance of the river for, in the same year of 1819, the north bank was drained for government buildings and, in 1822, the south bank was reclaim
ed and a retaining wall
and steps were built.
With the expansion of trade came congestion
and pollution
. Through lack of knowledge or foresight, the bridge
s were constructed too low and the river was too shallow for the demands that were to be made on its use. This historic river, which Raffles had fashioned from salt marsh
es, sand bars and mangrove swamps, has witnessed the British rule and the Japanese occupation
, and has supported years of economic activity by the Chinese, Malays, Indians and others.
Old maps of the river state that it actually originates from Bukit Larangan (currently Fort Canning Hill).
and expanding trade
. At the same time, it brought in water pollution
caused by the disposal of garbage, sewage
and other by-products of industries located along the river's banks. The sources of water pollution into the Singapore River and Kallang Basin included pig wastes from pig
and duck
farms, unsewered premises, street hawkers and vegetable
wholesaling. Riverine activities such as transport, boat building
and repairs were also found along the Singapore River. Some 750 lighters
plied along the Singapore River and Kallang Basin in 1977. Waste, oil spill
s and wastewater
from these boats and lighters added to the pollution of the rivers.
In 1977, Lee Kuan Yew
, then the Prime Minister
put forth an ambitious goal for the government to clean up the Singapore River and Kallang Basin: and in ten years let us have fishing in the Singapore River and Kallang River. It can be done.
By October 1977, an action plan on "The Clean-up of the Singapore River and Kallang Basin" was submitted to the Prime Minister. By late October 1977, the government was starting to take action to clean up the river. The plan involved the development of infrastructure
such as housing
, industrial
workshops and sewage
; massive resettlement of squatters, backyard trades and industries and farmers; re-siting of street hawkers to food centres; and phasing out of pollutive
activities. Industries located by the river were removed and squatters were resettled into flats
. Refuse was collected daily for incineration
, while hawkers were issued licenses and provided specified areas with proper sewerage amenities. The dredging of the river bed
and the removal of hundreds of tons of debris which had been piled up over the years helped marine life to return to the tidal river
.
Ten years later in 1987, the clean-up of the Singapore River and Kallang Basin was completed. In September 1987, the Ministry of the Environment together with other government ministries and statutory boards celebrated the success of the clean-up with an event called the "Clean Rivers Commemoration". After the massive clean-up, people can now engage in activities such as wayang
performances on a bumboat, variety shows staged on pontoons
anchored in the river, and boat races. Today, speedboats, dragon boat
s, pedal-boats and sampan
s can be seen plying on the clean waterways of the Singapore River.
after damming the Singapore River at its outlet to the sea to create a new reservoir of freshwater
. While damming this area would create a valuable source of fresh water for the tiny city-state
, it would have prevented the docking of ocean-going ships at the Singapore River which was arguably the original reason Singapore came into existence. The dam is known as Marina Barrage
.
Whereas the original mouth of the Singapore River emptied into Singapore Straits and its southern islands before major land reclamation
took place, the Singapore River now empties into Marina Bay - an area of water partially enclosed by the reclamation work. The Port of Singapore 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
at HarbourFront
. Thus the Singapore River's economic role has shifted away from one that of trade, towards more a role accommodated for tourism
and aesthetics for the commercial zone which encloses it.
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
with great historical importance. The Singapore River flows from the Central Area
Central Area
In Singapore, the Central Area or Central Business District contains the core financial and commercial districts, including eleven urban planning areas, namely Downtown Core, Marina East, Marina South, Museum, Newton, Orchard, Outram, River Valley, Rochor, Singapore River and Straits View as...
, which lies in the Central Region
Central Region, Singapore
The Central Region of Singapore is one of the five regions in the city-state. Comprising 13,150 hectares of land area, it includes 11 Planning Areas within the Central Area which is the immediate vicinity of the Singapore's central business district, as well as another 11 more outside it.Although...
in the southern part of Singapore before emptying into the ocean
Ocean
An ocean is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the hydrosphere. Approximately 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by ocean, a continuous body of water that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas.More than half of this area is over 3,000...
. The immediate upper watershed
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
of the Singapore River is known as the Singapore River Planning Area, although the northernmost part of the watershed becomes River Valley
River Valley
River Valley is the name of an urban planning area within the Central Area, Singapore's central business district.The River Valley Planning Area is defined by the region bounded by Orchard Boulevard, Devonshire Road and Eber Road to the north, Oxley Rise and Mohamed Sultan Road to the east, Martin...
. As the Central Area is treated as a central business district
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
, nearly all land surrounding it is commercial. It is one of about 90 rivers in Singapore and its islands. It is the place where Raffles made as the 1st trading port in Singapore. The Singapore River is the most famous river in Singapore.
Geography
The Singapore River is approximately three kilometers long from its sourceSource (river or stream)
The source or headwaters of a river or stream is the place from which the water in the river or stream originates.-Definition:There is no universally agreed upon definition for determining a stream's source...
at Kim Seng Bridge to its mouth at the Esplanade
Esplanade
An esplanade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The original meaning of esplanade was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide clear fields of fire for the fortress' guns...
where it empties into the Marina Channel and finally the Singapore Strait
Singapore Strait
The Singapore Strait is a 105-kilometer long, 16-kilometer wide 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 Riau Islands are on the south...
; the waterway extends more than two kilometers beyond its original source at Kim Seng Bridge as Alexandra Canal
Alexandra Canal
Alexandra Canal may refer to:*Alexandra Canal, Australia, in Sydney, New South Wales*Alexandra Canal, Singapore, see List of rivers of Singapore...
, as far as the junction of Commonwealth Avenue. Here there is a break with Buona Vista Road where Sungei Ulu Pandan starts and flows into Sungei Pandan which in turn flows into the sea at West Coast Park
West Coast Park
West Coast Park is located in West Coast, Singapore, parallel to West Coast Highway. It is themed ‘Play Centre in the West’. The park covers an area of 50 hectares.-History:...
. Thus, the source of both these waterways is in the Queenstown
Queenstown, Singapore
Queenstown1 is one of the early housing estates in Singapore, built before Toa Payoh and Ang Mo Kio, and was a test bed for much of Singapore's public housing...
, Ridout Road Estate and Tanglin Halt area near Margaret Drive.
History
The mouth of the Singapore River was the old Port of SingaporePort of Singapore
The Port of Singapore refers to the collective facilities and terminals that conduct maritime trade handling functions in Singapore's harbours and which handle Singapore's shipping...
, 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
Trade
Trade is the transfer of ownership of goods and services from one person or entity to another. Trade is sometimes loosely called commerce or financial transaction or barter. A network that allows trade is called a market. The original form of trade was barter, the direct exchange of goods and...
, commerce
Commerce
While business refers to the value-creating activities of an organization for profit, commerce means the whole system of an economy that constitutes an environment for business. The system includes legal, economic, political, social, cultural, and technological systems that are in operation in any...
and finance
Finance
"Finance" is often defined simply as the management of money or “funds” management Modern finance, however, is a family of business activity that includes the origination, marketing, and management of cash and money surrogates through a variety of capital accounts, instruments, and markets created...
. To this day, area around the old Singapore River mouth, the Downtown Core
Downtown Core
The Downtown Core is a 266-hectare urban planning area in the south of the city-state of Singapore. The Downtown Core surrounds the mouth of the Singapore River and southeastern portion of its watershed, and is part of the Central Area, Singapore's central business district...
, remains the most expensive and economically important piece of land in Singapore.
At one time, Singapore River was the very lifeblood of the colony
Colony
In politics and history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their inception....
, the trade
Trade
Trade is the transfer of ownership of goods and services from one person or entity to another. Trade is sometimes loosely called commerce or financial transaction or barter. A network that allows trade is called a market. The original form of trade was barter, the direct exchange of goods and...
artery, the center of commercial
Commerce
While business refers to the value-creating activities of an organization for profit, commerce means the whole system of an economy that constitutes an environment for business. The system includes legal, economic, political, social, cultural, and technological systems that are in operation in any...
activity, the heart of entrepot
Entrepôt
An entrepôt is a trading post where merchandise can be imported and exported without paying import duties, often at a profit. This profit is possible because of trade conditions, for example, the reluctance of ships to travel the entire length of a long trading route, and selling to the entrepôt...
trade, the vessel of importance, the capillaries of life and the place which was frequented by the secret societies, the swaylos (Cantonese for coolie
Coolie
Historically, a coolie was a manual labourer or slave from Asia, particularly China, India, and the Phillipines during the 19th century and early 20th century...
s who worked on a boat) and the coolies who worked for the philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
Tan Tock Seng
Tan Tock Seng
Tan Tock Seng was a Singaporean merchant and philanthropist. Born in Malacca in 1798 to an immigrant Fukien father and Hokkien Peranakan mother, Tan rose from humble origins. In 1819, Tan moved to Singapore to sell fruit, vegetable and fowl...
at Ellenborough Market and the towkay (Hokkien
Min Nan
The Southern Min languages, or Min Nan , are a family of Chinese languages spoken in southern Fujian, eastern Guangdong, Hainan, Taiwan, and southern Zhejiang provinces of China, and by descendants of emigrants from these areas in diaspora....
for business owner) Tan Kim Seng
Tan Kim Seng
Tan Kim Seng was a Straits Chinese merchant and public benefactor in Singapore in the nineteenth century.-Biography:Born in Malacca in 1805, Tan came to Singapore where he made a fortune as a trader. Tan started his firm, Kim Seng and Company, in 1840 and amassed a large fortune in his lifetime...
who was busy filling his godown
Warehouse
A warehouse is a commercial building for storage of goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial areas of cities and towns. They usually have loading docks to load and unload...
with the riches of the East.
Singapore River is where the colourful and romantic history of the river and the myth
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
s and legend
Legend
A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...
s can still conjure up memories of the lighters
Lighter (barge)
A lighter is a type of flat-bottomed barge used to transfer goods and passengers to and from moored ships. Lighters were traditionally unpowered and were moved and steered using long oars called "sweeps," with their motive power provided by water currents...
, bumboats, tongkangs with their painted eyes to see the danger ahead and sampan
Sampan
A sampan is a relatively flat bottomed Chinese wooden boat from long. Some sampans include a small shelter on board, and may be used as a permanent habitation on inland waters. Sampans are generally used for transportation in coastal areas or rivers, and are often used as traditional fishing boats...
s of yesteryear. This is where the Malayan
Malay Peninsula
The Malay Peninsula or Thai-Malay Peninsula is a peninsula in Southeast Asia. The land mass runs approximately north-south and, at its terminus, is the southern-most point of the Asian mainland...
prince
Prince
Prince is a general term for a ruler, monarch or member of a monarch's or former monarch's family, and is a hereditary title in the nobility of some European states. The feminine equivalent is a princess...
s once sailed and this is where the bullock
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
cart
Cart
A cart is a vehicle designed for transport, using two wheels and normally pulled by one or a pair of draught animals. A handcart is pulled or pushed by one or more people...
s plodded their way up and down each bank as the river found its way to the former rocky
Rock (geology)
In geology, rock or stone is a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids.The Earth's outer solid layer, the lithosphere, is made of rock. In general rocks are of three types, namely, igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic...
river mouth. This is also where an early civilisation was conquered by the Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
nese Majapahit Empire
Majapahit Empire
Majapahit was a vast archipelagic empire based on the island of Java from 1293 to around 1500. Majapahit reached its peak of glory during the era of Hayam Wuruk, whose reign from 1350 to 1389 marked by conquest which extended through Southeast Asia. His achievement is also credited to his prime...
, in the year 1376.
It was here that the Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
lived, on the south bank, the Malays in kampongs further upstream, and the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
ns used to reside until the Chinese forced them out to Rochor
Rochor
Rochor is a place in the central area of Singapore. There are two hotels in the area and there are many commercial buildings in the area as well.-External links:*...
, Kallang
Kallang
Kallang is an urban planning area and a subdivision located in the southeastern part of Singapore.It is probably best known for being the location of the Singapore Indoor Stadium & the old National Stadium, as well as the new Singapore Sports Hub...
and Geylang
Geylang
Geylang is a neighbourhood in the city-state of Singapore east of the Central Area, Singapore's central business district. It is located to the east of the Singapore River, an area that locals have associated, from the days of Sir Stamford Raffles, as a Malay kampong opposite facing two islands...
.
Some of the temple
Temple
A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...
s, shrine
Shrine
A shrine is a holy or sacred place, which is dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon or similar figure of awe and respect, at which they are venerated or worshipped. Shrines often contain idols, relics, or other such objects associated with the figure being venerated....
s and other places of worship still stand in the vicinity of the river. So too are the godowns, the bridge
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
s such as Anderson Bridge
Anderson Bridge
Anderson Bridge is a vehicular bridge that spans across the Singapore River. It is located near the river's mouth in the Downtown Core Planning Area of Singapore's Central Area....
, Elgin Bridge
Elgin Bridge
Elgin Bridge is a vehicular bridge across the Singapore River, linking the Downtown Core to the Singapore River Planning Area located within Singapore's Central Area....
and Cavenagh Bridge
Cavenagh Bridge
Cavenagh Bridge is the only suspension bridge and one of the oldest bridges in Singapore, spanning the lower reaches of the Singapore River in the Downtown Core...
, the Merlion
Merlion
The Merlion is a mythical creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish, used as a mascot of Singapore. Its name combines "mer" meaning the sea and "lion". The fish body represents Singapore's origin as a fishing village when it was called Temasek, which means "sea town" in Javanese...
, the shophouse
Shophouse
A shophouse is a vernacular architectural building type that is commonly seen in areas such as urban Southeast Asia. This hybrid building form characterises the historical centres of most towns and cities in the region.- Design and features :...
s, and the large trees such as Banyan
Banyan
A banyan is a fig that starts its life as an epiphyte when its seeds germinate in the cracks and crevices on a host tree...
and Madras Thorn. Some parts of this area include quays such as Clarke Quay
Clarke Quay
Clarke Quay is a historical riverside quay in Singapore, located within the Singapore River Planning Area. The quay is situated upstream from the mouth of the Singapore River and Boat Quay.-Etymology:...
, Boat Quay
Boat Quay
Boat Quay is a historical quay in Singapore which is situated upstream from the mouth of the Singapore River on its southern bank.It was the busiest part of the old Port of Singapore, handling three quarters of all shipping business during the 1860s...
and Robertson Quay
Robertson Quay
Robertson Quay is a wharf near the source of the Singapore River and the largest and most upstream of the three wharfs on the Singapore River.-History:...
, which generated trade and extensive demand
Demand
- Economics :*Demand , the desire to own something and the ability to pay for it*Demand curve, a graphic representation of a demand schedule*Demand deposit, the money in checking accounts...
for services with the boats that landed at the quays. Boat Quay itself was handling three quarters of the shipping
Shipping
Shipping has multiple meanings. It can be a physical process of transporting commodities and merchandise goods and cargo, by land, air, and sea. It also can describe the movement of objects by ship.Land or "ground" shipping can be by train or by truck...
service in the 1860s. Shophouse
Shophouse
A shophouse is a vernacular architectural building type that is commonly seen in areas such as urban Southeast Asia. This hybrid building form characterises the historical centres of most towns and cities in the region.- Design and features :...
s and warehouse
Warehouse
A warehouse is a commercial building for storage of goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial areas of cities and towns. They usually have loading docks to load and unload...
s flourished around the quays due to their proximity to trade during the colonial era, but presently house various bars
Bar (establishment)
A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...
, pubs
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
and restaurants, as well as antique shops.
The river still borders places where seamen and others, for example, near Raffles Landing Place, made offerings and burned their joss
Joss
Joss may refer to:*JOSS, a time-sharing programming language*Joss Supercar, an Australian-built automobilePeople*Joss Ackland, British actor*Joss Possible, a fictional character*Joss Stone, British female soul singer...
sticks. Poles with streamers flying were once used to tie up the barge
Barge
A barge is a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods. Some barges are not self-propelled and need to be towed by tugboats or pushed by towboats...
s as the water lapped against the old stone
Rock (geology)
In geology, rock or stone is a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids.The Earth's outer solid layer, the lithosphere, is made of rock. In general rocks are of three types, namely, igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic...
step
Stairway
Stairway, staircase, stairwell, flight of stairs, or simply stairs are names for a construction designed to bridge a large vertical distance by dividing it into smaller vertical distances, called steps...
s and walls.
Sir Stamford Raffles lost no time after January 1819, when he landed on Singapore River among the orang laut
Orang Laut
The Orang Laut, or Bajau Laut are a group of Malay people living in the Riau Islands of Indonesia. It also may refer to any Malay origin people living on coastal islands, including those of Andaman Sea islands in Thailand and Burma, commonly known as Moken.-Etymology:The Malay term orang laut...
and the human skull
Human skull
The human skull is a bony structure, skeleton, that is in the human head and which supports the structures of the face and forms a cavity for the brain.In humans, the adult skull is normally made up of 22 bones...
s, the victims of river pirates, in bargaining with the Temenggong, the Johor
Johor
Johor is a Malaysian state, located in the southern portion of Peninsular Malaysia. It is one of the most developed states in Malaysia. The state capital city and royal city of Johor is Johor Bahru, formerly known as Tanjung Puteri...
chief who then ruled the place, having settled in 1811. At the very moment of landing, Raffles must have realised the importance of the river for, in the same year of 1819, the north bank was drained for government buildings and, in 1822, the south bank was reclaim
Reclaim
The word reclaim or reclaiming can refer to :* Reclaimed word, a word whose connotations have changed from pejorative to acceptable* Regional Clean Air Incentives Market , an emissions trading program in California...
ed and a retaining wall
Retaining wall
Retaining walls are built in order to hold back earth which would otherwise move downwards. Their purpose is to stabilize slopes and provide useful areas at different elevations, e.g...
and steps were built.
With the expansion of trade came congestion
Congestion
Congestion generally means excessive crowding.Congestion may refer to:* congestion in heart failure, a term to describe low cardiac output seen in heart failure.* Nasal congestion, the blockage of nasal passages due to swollen membranes...
and pollution
Pollution
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into a natural environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light...
. Through lack of knowledge or foresight, the bridge
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
s were constructed too low and the river was too shallow for the demands that were to be made on its use. This historic river, which Raffles had fashioned from salt marsh
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
es, sand bars and mangrove swamps, has witnessed the British rule and the Japanese occupation
Japanese Occupation of Singapore
The Japanese occupation of Singapore in World War II occurred between about 1942 and 1945 after the fall of Singapore on 15 February 1942. Military forces of the Empire of Japan occupied Singapore after defeating the combined Australian, British, Indian and Malayan garrison in the Battle of Singapore...
, and has supported years of economic activity by the Chinese, Malays, Indians and others.
Old maps of the river state that it actually originates from Bukit Larangan (currently Fort Canning Hill).
Pollution and cleanup
Starting in the 1880s, there was heavy traffic on the Singapore River due to rapid urbanizationUrbanization
Urbanization, urbanisation or urban drift is the physical growth of urban areas as a result of global change. The United Nations projected that half of the world's population would live in urban areas at the end of 2008....
and expanding trade
Trade
Trade is the transfer of ownership of goods and services from one person or entity to another. Trade is sometimes loosely called commerce or financial transaction or barter. A network that allows trade is called a market. The original form of trade was barter, the direct exchange of goods and...
. At the same time, it brought in water pollution
Water pollution
Water pollution is the contamination of water bodies . Water pollution occurs when pollutants are discharged directly or indirectly into water bodies without adequate treatment to remove harmful compounds....
caused by the disposal of garbage, sewage
Sewage
Sewage is water-carried waste, in solution or suspension, that is intended to be removed from a community. Also known as wastewater, it is more than 99% water and is characterized by volume or rate of flow, physical condition, chemical constituents and the bacteriological organisms that it contains...
and other by-products of industries located along the river's banks. The sources of water pollution into the Singapore River and Kallang Basin included pig wastes from pig
Pig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
and duck
Duck
Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
farms, unsewered premises, street hawkers and vegetable
Vegetable
The noun vegetable usually means an edible plant or part of a plant other than a sweet fruit or seed. This typically means the leaf, stem, or root of a plant....
wholesaling. Riverine activities such as transport, boat building
Boat building
Boat building, one of the oldest branches of engineering, is concerned with constructing the hulls of boats and, for sailboats, the masts, spars and rigging.-Parts:* Bow - the front and generally sharp end of the hull...
and repairs were also found along the Singapore River. Some 750 lighters
Lighter (barge)
A lighter is a type of flat-bottomed barge used to transfer goods and passengers to and from moored ships. Lighters were traditionally unpowered and were moved and steered using long oars called "sweeps," with their motive power provided by water currents...
plied along the Singapore River and Kallang Basin in 1977. Waste, oil spill
Oil spill
An oil spill is the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment, especially marine areas, due to human activity, and is a form of pollution. The term is mostly used to describe marine oil spills, where oil is released into the ocean or coastal waters...
s and wastewater
Wastewater
Wastewater is any water that has been adversely affected in quality by anthropogenic influence. It comprises liquid waste discharged by domestic residences, commercial properties, industry, and/or agriculture and can encompass a wide range of potential contaminants and concentrations...
from these boats and lighters added to the pollution of the rivers.
In 1977, Lee Kuan Yew
Lee Kuan Yew
Lee Kuan Yew, GCMG, CH is a Singaporean statesman. He was the first Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore, governing for three decades...
, then the Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Singapore
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore is the head of the government of the Republic of Singapore. The President of Singapore appoints as Prime Minister a Member of Parliament who, in his opinion, is most likely to command the confidence of a majority of MPs.The office of Prime Minister...
put forth an ambitious goal for the government to clean up the Singapore River and Kallang Basin: and in ten years let us have fishing in the Singapore River and Kallang River. It can be done.
By October 1977, an action plan on "The Clean-up of the Singapore River and Kallang Basin" was submitted to the Prime Minister. By late October 1977, the government was starting to take action to clean up the river. The plan involved the development of infrastructure
Infrastructure
Infrastructure is basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society or enterprise, or the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function...
such as housing
House
A house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...
, industrial
Industry
Industry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...
workshops and sewage
Sewage
Sewage is water-carried waste, in solution or suspension, that is intended to be removed from a community. Also known as wastewater, it is more than 99% water and is characterized by volume or rate of flow, physical condition, chemical constituents and the bacteriological organisms that it contains...
; massive resettlement of squatters, backyard trades and industries and farmers; re-siting of street hawkers to food centres; and phasing out of pollutive
Pollution
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into a natural environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light...
activities. Industries located by the river were removed and squatters were resettled into flats
Apartment
An apartment or flat is a self-contained housing unit that occupies only part of a building...
. Refuse was collected daily for incineration
Incineration
Incineration is a waste treatment process that involves the combustion of organic substances contained in waste materials. Incineration and other high temperature waste treatment systems are described as "thermal treatment". Incineration of waste materials converts the waste into ash, flue gas, and...
, while hawkers were issued licenses and provided specified areas with proper sewerage amenities. The dredging of the river bed
Stream bed
A stream bed is the channel bottom of a stream, river or creek; the physical confine of the normal water flow. The lateral confines or channel margins, during all but flood stage, are known as the stream banks or river banks. In fact, a flood occurs when a stream overflows its banks and flows onto...
and the removal of hundreds of tons of debris which had been piled up over the years helped marine life to return to the tidal river
Tidal river
A tidal river is a river, or more typically a stretch of a river, whose flow and level is influenced by tides. An example of a tidal river is the portion of the Connecticut River flowing from Windsor Locks, Connecticut, to the Atlantic Ocean. The Brisbane River, which flows into the Pacific Ocean...
.
Ten years later in 1987, the clean-up of the Singapore River and Kallang Basin was completed. In September 1987, the Ministry of the Environment together with other government ministries and statutory boards celebrated the success of the clean-up with an event called the "Clean Rivers Commemoration". After the massive clean-up, people can now engage in activities such as wayang
Wayang
Wayang is a Javanese word for theatre . When the term is used to refer to kinds of puppet theatre, sometimes the puppet itself is referred to as wayang...
performances on a bumboat, variety shows staged on pontoons
Pontoon (boat)
A pontoon is a flotation device with buoyancy sufficient to float itself as well as a heavy load. A pontoon boat is a flattish boat that relies on pontoons to float. Pontoons may be used on boats, rafts, barges, docks, floatplanes or seaplanes. Pontoons may support a platform, creating a raft. A...
anchored in the river, and boat races. Today, speedboats, dragon boat
Dragon boat
A dragon boat is a human-powered watercraft traditionally made, in the Pearl River delta region of southern China - Guangdong Province, of teak wood to various designs and sizes. In other parts of China different woods are used to build these traditional watercraft...
s, pedal-boats and sampan
Sampan
A sampan is a relatively flat bottomed Chinese wooden boat from long. Some sampans include a small shelter on board, and may be used as a permanent habitation on inland waters. Sampans are generally used for transportation in coastal areas or rivers, and are often used as traditional fishing boats...
s can be seen plying on the clean waterways of the Singapore River.
Singapore River today
The river is now part of the Marina ReservoirMarina Reservoir
The Marina Reservoir is a reservoir in Marina Bay, Singapore formed in 2008 from the damming of the mouth of the Kallang Basin. With the completion of the Marina Barrage on October 30 2008, the reservoir, which contained mainly salt water, became freshwater and started operations at 7 pm on...
after damming the Singapore River at its outlet to the sea to create a new reservoir of freshwater
Freshwater
Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and...
. While damming this area would create a valuable source of fresh water for the tiny city-state
City-state
A city-state is an independent or autonomous entity whose territory consists of a city which is not administered as a part of another local government.-Historical city-states:...
, it would have prevented the docking of ocean-going ships at the Singapore River which was arguably the original reason Singapore came into existence. The dam is known as Marina Barrage
Marina Barrage
The Marina Barrage is a dam in Singapore built across the mouth of the bay, between Marina East and Marina South. It was officially opened on 1 November 2008[1]...
.
Whereas the original mouth of the Singapore River emptied into Singapore Straits and its southern islands before major land reclamation
Land reclamation
Land reclamation, usually known as reclamation, is the process to create new land from sea or riverbeds. The land reclaimed is known as reclamation ground or landfill.- Habitation :...
took place, the Singapore River now empties into Marina Bay - an area of water partially enclosed by the reclamation work. The Port of Singapore 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
Singapore Cruise Centre
The Singapore Cruise Centre is a cruise terminal located in the south of Singapore in the vicinity of HarbourFront and in Keppel Harbour...
at HarbourFront
HarbourFront
HarbourFront is a district situated in southern Singapore, within the Bukit Merah Planning Area. Harbourfront is also the gateway to Sentosa....
. Thus the Singapore River's economic role has shifted away from one that of trade, towards more a role accommodated for tourism
Tourism in Singapore
Tourism in Singapore is a major industry and contributor to the Singaporean economy, attracting 11,638,663 tourists in 2010, over twice Singapore's total population. Its cultural attraction can be attributed to its cultural diversity that reflects its colonial history and Chinese, Malay, Indian and...
and aesthetics for the commercial zone which encloses it.