INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Singapore launched a research facility on Thursday to find long-term solutions to protect it from the rise in sea levels from climate change
that could put the country&s low-lying land at risk of inundation.Singapore&s new Coastal Protection and Flood Resilience Institute (CFI
Singapore) aims to bring in expertise and innovation to head off what government officials describe as the &existential threat& posed by
rising sea levels, now increasing at a rate of around 3-4 millimeters a year, Reuters reported.Average sea levels are forecast to rise by
one meter by the end of the century, but experts say the effects could be exacerbated by changing rainfall patterns, higher tides and more
intense storm surges.&If we don&t do this well, our lives are at stake,& Grace Fu, Singapore&s environment minister, said at the opening of
the center.Nearly a third of the Southeast Asian island nation&s territory is only five meters or less above sea level, and with average
annual rainfall at around 2,500 millimeters, it is already vulnerable to flooding.Singapore has invested heavily to improve drainage and has
built flood prevention infrastructure, including seawalls, tidal gates, and revetments to protect against erosion
It also launched a S$5 billion ($3.66 billion) coastal and flood protection fund in 2020.CFI Singapore, a joint initiative by PUB,
Singapore&s water agency, and the National University of Singapore, has already launched research projects looking at new engineering
possibilities like flexible seawalls as well as nature-based solutions using mangroves or seagrass to protect coastlines.Experts said the
bottom line for Singapore is to ensure that none of the country&s land would be lost to rising sea levels
Future land reclamation projects would also be designed to protect against sea encroachment.Fu said better protection against rising sea
levels could also help &land-scarce& Singapore reclaim more territory.The post Singapore opens research center to fight rising sea levels
first appeared on Ariana News.
