Cleaning of the Singapore River and Kallang Basin in Singapore: Economic, Social, and Environmental Dimensions

By 1977, decades of development and inadequate long-term planning in Singapore had resulted in heavy pollution in the waterways of the city-state, threatening its very survival. This paper analyzes the strategies for cleaning the Singapore River and Kallang Basin as part of an overall development plan which aimed at sustained growth. It also analyzes the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of these strategies not only to improve the conditions of the rivers and their surroundings, but also to develop the city-state, provide its population with an improved quality of life, including a clean environment, and most importantly, propel Singapore towards the path to sustainability and economic prosperity.