Govt study says Long Island works will have minor impact on environment

SINGAPORE - Preparatory works for the reclamation of Long Island off East Coast Park are predicted to have an overall minor impact on the surrounding environment, though some nature groups and scientists worry about possible “blind spots”.

Released on June 30, the 557-page environmental impact assessment (EIA) was commissioned by the National Parks Board (NParks) on behalf of the Housing Board.

It assesses the impact of the two-phase works to prepare for the reclamation of about 800ha of land – roughly twice the size of Marina Bay – from Tanah Merah to Marina East, centring around the popular Bedok Jetty.

The works that involve removing seabed obstruction and sand infilling are slated to begin from end-2026.

The report, prepared by consultancy DHI Water and Environment based on surveys conducted between June 2025 and February 2026, found works would yield minor negative impacts on the environment.

The majority of coral and seagrass areas outside the project’s footprint, as well as mangroves, intertidal fauna and most marine fauna, are expected to remain largely unaffected, HDB and the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) said in a statement.

However, the works could impede globally critically endangered hawksbill turtles from reaching nesting sites along East Coast Park, as well as disorient hatchlings, according to the report.

The report deemed this impact minor, noting that sections of the shoreline will remain available for nesting alongside ongoing egg relocation efforts by NParks.

Nanyang Technological University sea turtle biologist Lyndsey Tanabe acknowledged the need for coastal protection, but stressed that Singapore’s hawksbill turtle population is small, making every individual critical to the species’ survival.

“While the environmental study identifies disturbance to nesting beaches as a concern, it is equally important to assess impacts to inter-nesting habitat in the shallow coastal waters where female turtles rest between clutches (of eggs),” she pointed out.

The research fellow welcomed clarifications on additional protective measures, and said she looks forward to working constructively with the project team.

Angler Lin Jiayuan, a 24-year-old student who has fished at Bedok Jetty since 2007, noted the report omitted key records at the jetty, such as a 2022 sighting of the globally critically endangered shovelnose ray.

He has observed more than 150 fish species in the sediment-laden waters of the site over the past eight years.

“It’s a shame to let this iconic landmark of marine biodiversity go without documenting whatever it has,” added fellow fishing hobbyist Tan Yen Yi, 32, who is a bird scientist by training.

The pair and their friends caught 40 species within four hours on June 30. These included the imposter trevally, a species newly recorded in Singapore at Bedok Jetty in 2022.

Lester Tan, chair of the Nature Society Singapore’s Marine Conservation Group, pointed out the absence of specific assessments for vulnerable coastal horseshoe crabs that nest along East Coast Park.

Tan, who also sits on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Horseshoe Crab Species Specialist Group, said he was surprised by the scale of the preparatory works.

“Early involvement of nature groups in scoping the study and developing mitigation measures would have been highly beneficial in surfacing blind spots before a timeline for the works was set,” he said.

Echoing this, Muhammad Nasry Abdul Nasir, executive director of Singapore Youth Voices for Biodiversity, questioned what he felt was the rushed nature of the engagement for the works, given the many unanswered questions from the community.

The environmental study report is open for public feedback at this website for four weeks from June 30.

HDB said mitigation measures will be implemented to minimise indirect impacts to surrounding habitats. These include deploying temporary containment bunds and silt screens to control sediment plumes.

A dedicated Environmental Monitoring and Management Plan will also be put in place to track conditions and manage potential effects on the surrounding marine environment, including seagrass beds.

Associate professor Peter Todd from the National University of Singapore’s Department of Biological Sciences lauded the monitoring efforts for spanning the duration of the preparatory works and beyond.

“Given the scale of the project, some impacts are inevitable, but it seems that substantial efforts are being made to mitigate these,” he said.

Todd, who studies the use of artificial structures to bring back marine life, added that Long Island presents opportunities to create new marine habitats for corals and mangroves.

However, he noted that combining natural elements into hard-engineered structures, also known as “hybrid shorelines”, remains a new and challenging field.

HDB and URA said they will thoroughly evaluate the feedback and incorporate suitable suggestions before finalising mitigation measures.