Singapore: Protecting Singapore from rising sea levels could cost the country 100 million Singapore dollars ($ 72 million) or more than 100 years, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Sunday.
“How much does it cost to protect ourselves from rising sea levels? My guess is S $ 100 billion probably over 100 years or maybe much more. ”
Future options include building land reclaimed from the sea or reclaiming a group of islands off the sea and linking them to dams, he said.
Singapore has already taken some measures, including proposing a carbon tax and the need to build any important infrastructure projects in the future, such as the new airport and port, on high ground.
The government said this year it would spend S $ 400 million over the next two years to upgrade and maintain water drains and strengthen its flood response capacity.
The Prime Minister made the statement in an annual address to the nation on the occasion of the National Day, in which he announced policies and priorities for the government.