RECLAMATION (SUNGEI KRANJI)

3.25 p.m.

The Minister for Law and National Development (Mr E. W. Barker): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move the motion* standing in my name on the Order Paper.

• The motion reads as follows:

That this Parliament, in accordance with section 4 of the Foreshores Act(Chapter 270), approves -

(a) the construction of a dam across the mouth of Sungei Kranji as shown coulured dark brown on the plan marked 'LAND OFFICE RECLAMATION PLAN NO. 1/72' which is deposited in hte Land Office, Singapore;

(b) the dredging of part of Sungei Kranji bed for the construction of a spillway channel as shown coloured blue on hte same plan; and

(c) the filling up of the sites shown coloured green and mared 'Zone A' and 'Zone B' on the same plan with the dredged materials.

Sir, for the implementation of the Kranji/Pandan Water Scheme, which will mobilise nearly all the water resources in the western part of Singapore, the Public Utilities Board proposes to construct a dam across the mouth of Sungei Kranji to form an impounding reservoir with a storage capacity of 3,300 million gallons. Details of the scheme are shown on the plan marked `LAND OFFICE RECLAMATION PLAN NO. 1/72', a copy of which is displayed in the Library of this House for the information of Members. The Pandan Reservoir and the Jurong Reservoir which form part of the Scheme will provide storage capacity for another 1,100 million and 100 million gallons respectively.

The dam will be about 3,200 feet long with a width of approximately 70 feet at its top to provide for a future arterial road linking the Kranji Industrial Estate with Lim Chu Kang Road. It will rise to a maximum height of about 61 feet from the river bed and its crest level will have an elevation of 13 feet above mean sea level. Included in the dam project is a concrete spillway channel of 175 feet width for the discharge of floods occurring upstream of the dam. This spillway channel will be controlled by the provision of three electrically operated gates.

The materials required for the construction of the dam will be obtained from the quarries along Mandai Road and Bukit Timah Road. Extensive dredging of part of Sungei Kranji bed and its left bank near its mouth is, however, necessary for the construction of the spillway channel. The dredged materials will be used to fill up the mangrove swamps in the vicinity.

The whole project, which will be partly financed by the Asian Development Bank, is expected to be completed within three years at an estimated cost of $74.5 million excluding costs of land acquisition, resettlement and antipollution measures.

Sir, I beg to move.

Question put, and agreed to.

Resolved,

That this Parliament, in accordance with section 4 of the Foreshores Act(Chapter 270), approves -

(a) the construction of a dam across the mouth of Sungei Kranji as shown coulured dark brown on the plan marked 'LAND OFFICE RECLAMATION PLAN NO. 1/72' which is deposited in hte Land Office, Singapore;

(b) the dredging of part of Sungei Kranji bed for the construction of a spillway channel as shown coloured blue on hte same plan; and

(c)the filling up of the sites shown coloured green and marked Zone A' and Zone B' on the same plan with the dredged materials.