ENVIRONMENT & WATER ENGINEERING
NATIONAL ENVIRONMENT AGENCY WINS INTERNATIONAL ENGINEERING AWARD The award honours Singapore’s Semakau Landfill as the first offshore landfill in the region where nature and landfilling opera ons co-exist. The National Environment Agency (NEA) has been recognised for its outstanding engineering feat in the development of Semakau Landfill. NEA received the 2019 Hassib J Sabbagh Award for Engineering Construction Excellence, from the World Federation of Engineering Organizations, at an award ceremony held in late November 2019, in Melbourne, Australia. This prestigious international award affirms the role of engineering in sustainable development. Underlining the theme for the 2019 Award, which was ‘Sustainable Development for Smart Cities’, Semakau Landfill showcases how sustainable waste management can co-exist with flora and fauna. The development of Semakau Landfill, the first offshore landfill in the region, is proof of Singapore’s innovative spirit and strong engineering capability, in response to the twin challenges of Singapore’s growing waste generation and severe land constraints. This unique approach to waste management balances national development and biodiversity conservation in an environmentally sustainable way.
Semakau Landfill’s Success Story Launched on 1 April 1999, Semakau Landfill achieved several engineering feats, including in deep-sea piling and open sea construction that required the use of large floating cranes for installation of the roof structures. Adding to the challenge was the need to preserve the island’s biodiversity before landfill operations began. Mitigation measures included the replanting of about 400,000 mangrove saplings on two new plots at the northern and southern fringes of the original island during the Phase I development, as well as the harvesting and transplanting of over 700 colonies of corals in the Phase II lagoon to Sisters’ Island. Over 80 species of birds, inclusive of some endangered species, have been spotted around Semakau Landfill. The thriving coral colonies and wild birds in their natural habitat on Semakau Landfill show that the landfill operations and preservation of the local natural environment can both be achieved, at the same time. Winning the award was particularly significant, as Semakau Landfill had just crossed the important 20th anniversary milestone. The purpose of the Hassib J Sabbagh Award is to direct the world’s attention to the role of engineering in sustainable development. The award also includes a cash prize of USD 10,000 which 40
THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER February 2020
NEA will be donating to a WFEO project on capacity building for climate change education in the Small Islands Developing States (SIDS). The donation, which will fund training and teaching aids for climate change awareness in schools, underscores NEA’s and MEWR’s (Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources) commitment to international and regional cooperation for climate action, and in supporting developing countries in climate change mitigation and adaptation. Mr Tan Meng Dui, Chief Executive Officer, NEA, said, “Achieving this award is a significant milestone, particularly for a relatively young organisation like NEA. The timing of the award is also special and gratifying, as we celebrate Semakau Landfill’s 20th anniversary this year. We are honoured to receive this award, and proud of our engineers who have combined their inventiveness with sheer determination and hard work to great effect, in developing Singapore’s first offshore landfill. The current generation of NEA engineers stands on the shoulders of the past generation. This award is therefore also a recognition of the industry and pioneering spirit of the engineers and leaders that have come before us. I hope this award will inspire everyone in Singapore to all do our part and work together to preserve Semakau Landfill and lengthen her lifespan beyond 2035”.
An outstanding engineering feat. Aerial views of Semakau Landfill. All images by Na onal Environment Agency.
