PULAU SAKENG (Proposed landfill project)

Dr Kanwaljit Soin asked the Minister for the Environment if he will consider leaving Pulau Sakeng out of the proposed landfill project in view of the historical significance of the existing settlement which predates 1819.

The Minister of State for the Environment (Mr Abdullah Tarmugi) (for the Minister for the Environment: Sir, our landfill capacity is diminishing and will be completely used up by 1998. As there is no other suitable landfill site on the mainland, an offshore landfill has to be constructed and be ready for use by then.

The Urban Redevelopment Authority, Sir, had conducted a very comprehensive study on constructing the landfill site in the outlying islands. It finally selected the proposed site as being the most suitable, with minimal impact on the existing surroundings as well as proposed land use.

The proposed landfill will serve our needs up to the year 2045. Pulau Sakeng, or Pulau Seking as it is also called, is included in the landfill site as its surrounding shallow waters can be reclaimed for the construction of a wharf and other supporting facilities. If Pulau Sakeng is excluded, the landfill space of the site will be smaller and exhausted seven years earlier. The wharf and other facilities will also have to be relocated at a higher cost.

While Pulau Sakeng has historical association, Government has weighed this against the need for a landfill site that can last many years and be cost-effective to build and operate. The Member, however, can rest assured that, in implementing the project, my Ministry will exercise care to minimise the possible impact on the environment.

Dr Kanwaljit Soin (Nominated Member): Sir, is the Minister aware that Pulau Sakeng is the last Malay kampong and is a very valuable part of our cultural heritage and that an economic value cannot be put on an inadvertent destruction of our cultural heritage?

Mr Abdullah Tarmugi: The Ministry is aware of this fact. But according to records, the residents are leaving the island. In 1980, it had 525 residents. In April this year, there were only 139 residents on the island and 19 of whom are actually single persons. The fact remains that the younger people are leaving the island even without resettlement.

But more importantly, Sir, if Pulau Sakeng were to be excluded, as I mentioned earlier, we need to spend $30 million on reclamation to build a wharf and supporting facilities elsewhere and the resulting capacity will also be reduced by one-sixth. If we were to recover this lost capacity, which amounts to about 10 million cubic metres, the perimeter bunds will have to be built in deeper waters. This would cost another $100 million. This means that we would need to spend altogether an additional sum of $130 million over and above the $1 billion that we are going to spend to build this landfill site.

I hope that the Member will understand that the Government has to balance the need to spend this large sum of money with that of preserving the island.

Encik Ibrahim bin Othman (Thomson GRC): Sir, could the Minister of State inform the House what steps his Ministry is taking to protect the environment of that area?

Mr Abdullah Tarmugi: Sir, talking of the environment, we know for a fact that there are some coral reefs to the south of Pulau Semakau and steps are indeed being taken to preserve the coral site and ensure that the corals are not disturbed or destroyed.

Dr Kanwaljit Soin: Sir, would the Minister confirm whether the inhabitants have been asked to leave by the end of the year, and that is one of the reasons why the number is going down? And would it be possible for the Minister to revoke or shelve the order so that a dialogue can take place and we can assess the cultural value of the island?

Mr Abdullah Tarmugi: I am afraid I cannot confirm whether the residents have been asked to leave the island by the end of the year. But, as I mentioned earlier, even without resettlement, we found that people are leaving the island for the mainland and this trend, we believe, will continue.

With regard to dialogue, we can look into it but I am not too sure whether a dialogue will be useful in this case.

Dr Kanwaljit Soin: I know that they have been given notice to quit by the end of the year. Would the Minister please consider revoking or shelving this order before a dialogue can occur, otherwise it will be too late to do that? Another supplementary question is: would the Minister give me the cost-benefit analysis of making a landfill in one of the other nearby islands rather than making a marine landfill, including Pulau Sakeng and the neighbouring islands?

Mr Abdullah Tarmugi: Sir, I do not think we can revoke the order for the people to leave. We can have a dialogue perhaps to reduce whatever difficulties they have in trying to adapt themselves on the mainland.

On the cost-benefit analysis, I am sure the URA has done a very complete and exhaustive costing and technical feasibility study of the outlying islands in Singapore and this, as I mentioned earlier, has been the final decision and suggestion of the URA.

Dr Kanwaljit Soin: Sir, would the Minister reconsider his decision because we go round building Malay villages and then we destroy what is authentic and real and predates 1819? Could I remind the Minister that although the younger people have left the island, the older people are there and every Sunday and weekends, the younger people visit the island and it is a thriving community of our living heritage?

Mr Abdullah Tarmugi: Sir, I am afraid we cannot revoke the decision. With regard to the old residents living on the island, we know that too. As I mentioned earlier, the younger ones would be leaving and, in the long run, we believe the island will not be inhabited as people will continue to leave the island to live on the mainland. And mind you, even if we move the bunds to the south of Pulau Sakeng, and we allow the people to live on the island, the environment will not be that good, simply because the landfill site will be too near the people on the island.

Dr Kanwaljit Soin: Sir, would the Minister consider converting the island into a cultural attraction so that it becomes a tourist asset for us?

Mr Abdullah Tarmugi: We may consider that, but I do not think, frankly, it will be a useful or beneficial proposition.