SINGAPORE: The Ministry of National Development (MND) and the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) on Tuesday (May 8) laid down plans to create a liveable and sustainable Singapore.
In his ministry’s addendum to President Halimah Yacob’s address in Parliament on Monday, National Development Minister Lawrence Wong reaffirmed plans to build a more inclusive city for Singaporeans of all ages and abilities.
AdvertisementThis includes seeing to the housing needs of senior and vulnerable Singaporeans.
For seniors, MND will pilot a new model of assisted living that combines housing and care services, in order to help them live more independently and with dignity. MND will also update the existing Enhancement for Active Seniors programme to provide more accessibility solutions.
For vulnerable Singaporeans living in rental flats, MND will study how to further support their homeownership aspirations.
Mr Wong said that his ministry also plans to build a “smarter, greener, and more liveable city”. Chief among its plans is the linking of up the 24km Rail Corridor to parks, nature areas and trails such as the Coast-to-Coast Trail and 150km Round Island Route by 2021.
AdvertisementAdvertisementBy 2030, he said, 90 per cent of Singaporeans will live within a 10-minute walk of a park, and Singapore’s network of green corridors will be expanded from 310km to 400km.
MEWR is also doing its part to build a liveable and sustainable Singapore by integrating and transforming “our blue and green spaces”, it said.
“Through the Active, Beautiful, Clean (ABC) Waters programme, we will continue to turn concrete drains, canals, and reservoirs into vibrant and beautiful rivers, streams, and lakes,” Environment and Water Resources Minister Masagos Zulkifli said in his ministry’s addendum.
“Over the next few years, ABC Waters projects at locations such as the Jurong Lake and Sungei Whampoa will be completed.
The ministry will also continue to invest in climate-resilient infrastructure, such as enhancing stormwater management systems and diversifying water supply with more desalination and NEWater plants.
“In tandem, we are pursuing better management of our water demand,” Mr Masagos said. “We will also deepen our local research capabilities on climate science and weather through the Centre for Climate Research Singapore.”
When it comes to tackling climate change, using resources efficiently is critical to reducing emissions, limiting pollution and strengthening Singapore’s economic resilience, he said.
“We will strive to become a zero waste nation and extract greater value from waste as a resource, so as to achieve our vision of a circular economy,” he added, highlighting the Government's implementation of a compulsory e-waste management system and mandatory reporting of packaging data and packaging waste reduction plans by 2021.
“While the Government will continue to strengthen our regulatory regime to safeguard our environment and public health, creating a liveable and endearing home ultimately depends on everyone taking ownership of our environment,” Mr Masagos said.
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