Singapore River
Singapore River | |
---|---|
Native name | |
Location | |
Country | Singapore |
Physical characteristics | |
Source | |
• location | Alexandra Canal |
Mouth | |
• location | Marina Channel |
Length | 3.2 km (2.0 mi) |
Singapore River | |
---|---|
Jawi) | |
• Tamil | சிங்கப்பூர் நதி Ciṅkappūr nati (Transliteration) |
Country | Singapore |
Region | Central Region
|
CDC | |
Town council |
|
Constituency | |
DGP exhibited |
|
PA incorporated |
|
Government | |
• Mayor | Central Singapore CDC
|
• Members of Parliament | Tanjong Pagar GRC
Jalan Besar GRC |
Area | |
• Total | 0.96 km2 (0.37 sq mi) |
• Rank | 52nd |
Population (2018) | |
• Total | 3,070 |
• Rank | 32nd |
• Density | 3,200/km2 (8,300/sq mi) |
• Rank | 31st |
Postal district | 01, 03, 06, 09, 10 |
The Singapore River is a river that flows parallel to Alexandra Road and feeds into the Marina Reservoir in the southern part of Singapore. The immediate upper watershed of the Singapore River is known as the Singapore River Planning Area, although the western part of the watershed is classified under the River Valley planning area.
Singapore River planning area sits within the Central Area of the Central Region of Singapore, as defined by the Urban Redevelopment Authority. The planning area shares boundaries with the following – River Valley and Museum to the south, Tanglin and Bukit Merah to the west, Outram to the south, and the Downtown Core to the east.
Since 2008, the Singapore River was turned into a fresh water river after the completion of the Marina Barrage at Marina South.
Geography
The Singapore River is approximately 3.2 kilometers long
History
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (September 2022) |
The mouth of the Singapore River was the old Port of Singapore, 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.
Old maps of the river state that it actually originates from Bukit Larangan (currently Fort Canning Hill).
Heavy traffic
Starting in 1819, there was heavy traffic on the Singapore River due to rapid
Some 750
Singapore River today
Due to such cleaning efforts, the Singapore River has significantly changed from one that was heavily busy and polluted to one that is clean for marine animals. The re-emergence of
Whereas the original mouth of the Singapore River emptied into
The
The river is now part of the
Sculptures
There are a number of sculptures along the Singapore River.[10] Many of these depict the life of people living and working along the river during the early days of Singapore.
Notable sculptures include:[11]
- First Generation, made by Chong Fah Cheong
- Fishing at Singapore River, made by Chern Lian Shan
- The River Merchants, made by Aw Tee Hong
- A Great Emporium, made by Malcolm Koh
- From Chettiars to Financiers, made by Chern Lian Shan
- Singapura Cats, made by various artists
Bridges and tunnels
Between 1819, when the first wooden jetty and the first bridge were built over the Singapore River in Singapore, and in 2015, 14 bridges were built across the river (or 17, although the Marina Reservoir, where the estuary is now located, is considered a Singapore River). Until 1819, the river could only be crossed by boats and ferries. Some of the bridges were demolished and rebuilt or their purpose was changed.
The first bridge in Singapore was built over the Singapore river in 1819 where the Elgin Bridge now stands. There have been two Elgin bridges at some point. The first iron-made Elgin Bridge was built in 1862 and named after Lord Elgin. It was later demolished and replaced with the current Elgin bridge in 1926.[12] Other bridges along the river include the Coleman Bridge (1840), Kim Seng Bridge (1862), Cavenagh Bridge (1869), and Read Bridge (1889). The most recent bridges are the Helix Bridge (2010), Bayfront Bridge (2010), and the Jubilee Bridge (2015).
e
- Coleman Bridge (1840/1985)
- Kim Seng Bridge (1862)
- Elgin Bridge (1862/1926)
- Cavenagh Bridge (1870)
- Ord Bridge (1886)
- Read Bridge (1889)
- Pulau Saigon Bridge (1890)
- Anderson Bridge (1910)
- Clemenceau Bridge (1940)
- Benjamin Sheares Bridge (1981)
- North South MRT line between City Hall and Raffles Place (1987/1989)
Aerial Panorama of Merlion Park. The Singapore River ends its journey here - Chin Swee Tunnel carrying the Central Expressway (1991)
- Esplanade Bridge (1997)
- Robertson Bridge (1998)
- Jiak Kim Bridge (1999)
- Alkaff Bridge (1999)
- North East MRT line between Clarke Quay and Dhoby Ghaut (2003)
- Helix Bridge (2010)
- Bayfront Bridge (2010)
- Downtown MRT line and Circle MRT line between Promenade and Bayfront (2012)
- Jubilee Bridge (2015)
- Downtown MRT line between Fort Canning and Chinatown (2017)
- Thomson–East Coast MRT line between Great World and Havelock (2022)
Gallery
-
Bird Sculpture by Fernando Botero
-
Statue of Stamford Raffles
-
A Great Emporium by Malcolm Koh
-
The First Generation by Chong Fah Cheong
-
The River Merchants by Aw Tee Hong
References
- ^ a b "Singapore Infopedia – Development guide plan". National Library Board.
- ISBN 9781136266546.
- ^ "Singapore River Cruise". Retrieved 2023-09-22.
- ^ "Singapore River". Heritage Trails. Archived from the original on 2009-08-22. Retrieved 2010-04-01.
- ^ migration (2014-07-04). "5 interesting facts about the Singapore River clean-up". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2016-07-09.
- ^ "Cheeky otters are thriving in Singapore—and adapting quickly to big city life". National Geographic. March 10, 2020. Archived from the original on March 6, 2021.
- ^ Ng, Cherlynn (18 March 2022). "TGIF: Monitor lizards have a family feast along Kallang River". Stomp. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
- ^ "Singapore River". www.ura.gov.sg. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
- ^ "PUB annual report: Birth of the barrage". PUB. 2008. Archived from the original on 7 April 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
- ^ "Sir Stamford Raffles statue and other sculptures along Singapore River to be cleaned next week". The Straits Times. Singapore. 3 February 2015. Retrieved 2015-11-23.
- ^ Ang, Benson (18 September 2016). "Sculptures by the Singapore River get a spruce up". The Straits Times. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
- ^ "Singapore Slider: Then & Now | The Straits Times". Singapore Slider: Then & Now | The Straits Times. Retrieved 2022-12-21.
External links
- Media related to Singapore River at Wikimedia Commons
- Singapore River travel guide from Wikivoyage