Pulau Semakau is one of the southern islands off the main island of Singapore. It once occupied an area of about 70ha, with a coastline of more than 3km. However, the shape and size of the island were altered after plans were announced in the late 1980s to dump rubbish offshore when the existing landfills in the main island reached full capacity. In April 1999, the island was turned into Singapore’s only landfill.
History
Pulau Semakau was once the site of natural mangrove swamps that supported a rich variety of plants and animals, and is still a popular marine site for divers because of the underwater coral reefs off its shores. The origins of the island's name are unclear - the meaning of semakau is unknown, although semak is a Malay term for scrub or undergrowth.
Like the other islands off Singapore, Pulau Semakau was once home to a small fishing village. It was a small community with a football field at one end of the island. However, the inhabitants of the islands were resettled on the mainland in 1977. One of the oldest residents was said to have continued living on the island, but the deterioration of the jetty forced him to leave the island in 1991.
Pulau Semakau may have a longer history than we know. A team led by archaeologist Dr John Miksic went on an archaeological dig at Pulau Semakau in October 1991, before the island became a landfill. He and his team found a kilogram of broken china and clay pottery along the beach, behind rocks and in the mangrove swamps. Some of the blue and white porcelain pieces were identified as eighteenth-century Qing porcelain. The oldest pieces, part of a clay jar, could have been from the 12th century. The pieces were similar to those found at Fort Canning on the main island of Singapore. Dr Miksic believed that there should have been more digs to determine whether there were more artifacts or if the pieces were washed ashore from elsewhere.
Becoming a landfill
Singapore's non-incinerable waste were formerly dumped at two landfills located at Lim Chu Kang and Lorong Halus at Tampines on mainland Singapore. With the amount of refuse increasing by 6% every year, it was foreseen that both landfills would reach full capacity in 1997. As no other suitable sites for landfill could be found on the main island, a decision was made to create a landfill site by enclosing the waters between the eastern part of Pulau Semakau and the western part of Pulau Sakeng. It would be a sort of reclamation. It was projected that sometime in the 21st century the two islands would be merged by the landfill for future development. The new landfill, which cost $630 million, started operations in April 1999.
The landfill area covers 350ha (about 440 football fields) and has a landfill capacity of 63 million m3. It is expected to have a lifespan of 30 years but if Singaporeans are able to recycle more and reduce waste from 1.1kg a day per person to 0.9kg, then it may last for 46 years.
Currently, refuse is incinerated at the four incineration plants at Ulu Pandan, Tuas, Tuas South and Senoko. The sludge and ash from the incinerators and other non-incinerable waste are brought to a refuse transfer station in Tuas. These waste products are then transferred onto barges and transported to Pulau Semakau. The barges are berthed in an enclosed transfer building and the waste products are loaded onto dump trucks and driven to the landfill site to be dumped into cells from which seawater has been pumped out. When each cell has been filled, soil and grass seeds are strewn over the waste.
Protecting the natural environment
During construction of the landfill, 13ha of mangroves were destroyed. To replace the lost mangroves, the National Environment Agency planted 400,000 mangrove saplings on 14ha of specially created mud-beds in 1998. The mangroves are thriving, and they act as a biological indicator giving early warning if toxins leak into the sea. In 2003, 360 coastal trees such as the Sea Hibiscus and Casuarina were planted on the island.
To safeguard against pollution of the sea, a 7km confinement bund surrounds the landfill site covering part of the sea off Pulau Semakau and the former Pulau Sakeng. This bund is lined with an impermeable membrane and a layer of marine clay to prevent the leakage of leachate, which is waste water generated within the landfill area.
References
Adventurers find ancient artifacts on Semakau [Electronic version]. (1991, October 4). The Straits Times, p.26. Retrieved March 18, 2010 from NewspaperSG database.
Cua, Genevieve. (1993, September 23). Tenders in 94 for a S$1b P Semakau landfill project [Electronic version]. The Business Times.
Lee, Han Shih. (1989, February 11). Big off-shore dumping ground planned [Microfilm: NL 16090]. The Business Times.
Neo, Hui Min. (2003, April 22). Land-use surprise - coral sites, mangrove areas to go [Electronic version]. The Straits Times, p. 5.
S$1.8 b to be spent to clear rubbish [Electronic version]. (1997, January 29). The Straits Times.
Plans for dumping rubbish offshore [Microfilm: NL 16471]. (1989, February 15). The Straits Times, p. 14.
Pulau Semakau landfill project shows development and environment go together. (2003, October 15). Channel NewsAsia. Retrieved December 27, 2004, from Factiva database.
Pulau Semakau landfill supports a thriving ecosystem. (2003, November 5). Channel NewsAsia. Retrieved December 27, 2004, from Factiva database.
Radio Singapore International. (2004, November 3): A view from Singapore: Semakau landfill - waste disposal in Singapore. Retrieved October 8, 2007, from http://www.rsi.sg/english/assignment/view/20041103175327/1/.html
S$13.2m consultancy deal for landfill project signed [Electronic version]. (1990, June 23). The Business Times.
