SIWW2026 Coastal and Flood Resilience Leaders Summit - Ms Grace Fu

Introduction

1. Good morning, and welcome to Singapore. It is a pleasure to join you at the second Coastal and Flood Resilience Leaders Summit at Singapore International Water Week 2026. We meet at a time when the case for action is no longer abstract. It is immediate, it is practical, and it is shared by all of us in this room.

Climate Change is an Existential Challenge

2. Climate change is one of the defining long-term risks of our time, with profound implications for coastal and flood resilience. The science is clear. The Third National Climate Change Study, by the Centre for Climate Research Singapore, projects that Southeast Asia’s mean sea levels could rise by up to 2.18 metres by 2100. Extreme rainfall could also become more frequent, with maximum daily rainfall increasing by up to 70 per cent across the region. And we have already seen the human and economic cost. In November last year, floods killed more than 1,300 people and caused at least US$20 billion in losses across parts of South and Southeast Asia.

3. We have designated 2026 as the Year of Climate Adaptation in Singapore. This aims to raise awareness of the importance of climate adaptation, galvanise collective action, and co-create solutions with our stakeholders across the public, private and people sectors. Our collective efforts will strengthen our economic and social resilience.

4. Coastal and flood resilience is a key focus of Singapore’s National Adaptation Plan. It demands significant investment in planning, design and construction across the full line of defence. It also demands urgency. Coastal protection measures take years — sometimes decades — to plan and deliver. If we want to stay ahead of future risks, we must prepare early, invest early and act early. For industry, this means a growing need for capability, innovation and partnership.

5. To finance this long-term undertaking, the Singapore Government established the Coastal and Flood Protection Fund in 2020. We have since set aside a total of S$10 billion for the fund. This will support studies and implementation of our coastal protection projects, including the coastal barriers recommended for our coastline between City and East Coast, which would protect Singapore’s CBD from flooding.

6. Singapore is not alone in this journey. Southeast Asia will see a growing need for coastal protection given the region’s extensive coastlines. Indonesia, for example, has plans for a seawall stretching hundreds of kilometres along the northern coast of Java and requiring an estimated investment of US$80 billion.

7. Beyond funding, strong legislative support is essential. Legislation plays an important role by setting clear responsibilities and standards for property owners and the construction industry.

8. The recently passed coastal protection legislation sets out clear responsibilities and compliance standards. This is an essential step towards building a continuous line of defence against sea level rise. It places responsibility on all coastal landowners in Singapore — both public and private — to own, implement, maintain and operate coastal protection measures. Just as importantly, it gives landowners and industry clear signals early, so they can build capability, plan investments and prepare for implementation with confidence.

9. With the legal framework now in place, PUB is ready to introduce the Code of Practice on Coastal Protection, or the “Code”. The Code will translate policy into technical standards and compliance requirements. For landowners, engineers and contractors, it will provide greater clarity on what good coastal protection looks like — and how to deliver it well.

   1. The Code will guide landowners and the construction and engineering profession industry in meeting their coastal protection obligations.

      1. It goes beyond the design of coastal protection measures, by covering the inspection and maintenance regimes to ensure the integrity of structures over the intended lifespan.

      2. Second, it caters for future climatic projections by giving landowners optionality in implementing coastal protection through either a single step or incremental steps approach.

      3. The Code will also be updated to keep pace with new findings on sea level rise and technologies to support coastal protection measures.

   2. PUB has consulted and engaged stakeholders extensively, including professional bodies and industry associations in developing the Code. It will continue to work closely with the industry to support the understanding and implementation of the Code, as it becomes mandatory in 2028.

10. As we move from planning to implementation, we are also strengthening our capabilities through research and development. We launched the Coastal Protection and Flood Management Research Programme in 2023 to accelerate innovation in this space. A key part of this effort is the Living Lab, which provides test-bedding opportunities and helps promising solutions to move faster from concept to deployment. This is where research must meet real-world delivery — and where partnership with industry becomes indispensable.

11. I am pleased to announce that under the Living Lab, PUB has awarded a total of S$14 million for five projects to test-bed coastal protection solutions. This brings the total number of projects to 38 under this programme.

12. These projects bring together our universities with contractors and practising consultants. Our universities bring research depth and technical excellence, complementing the practical design and operational experience of contractors and consultants. Together, they can help identify solutions that are both technically sound and practical to implement.

13. Let me share two examples. The first is a project led by a team comprising the National University of Singapore, Woh Hup, and Delta Marine Consultants. They came together to deploy XblocPlus — an interlocking concrete armour system to protect against waves and erosion — at Sentosa. The innovative modular design achieves better protection with less concrete, thereby reducing costs, carbon footprint and our reliance on imported materials. Its uniform geometry also enables more efficient placement and facilitates mechanisation over manual labour, thereby shortening construction time.

14. The second project involves Kajima working with local firms, Samwoh Innovation Centre and Oung Construction, as well as the Singapore Institute of Technology, the National University of Singapore and Delta Marine Consultants, to develop an adaptive eco-friendly seawall. The project builds on Kajima’s eco-friendly seawall work in Tokyo, integrating features to enhance marine biodiversity. It will also test an incremental-build approach using prefabricated seawall elements, alongside low-carbon materials, smart sensors and self-healing mechanisms to reduce emissions and maintenance costs. This allows us to adapt overseas technology to Singapore’s coastal conditions, benchmark internationally and apply best practices from elsewhere.

15. By bringing together universities and industry players in these R&D projects, we can turn promising ideas into deployable solutions — and deployable solutions into infrastructure at scale.

16. As Singapore and cities around the world confront growing coastal and flood risks, one thing is clear: none of us can do this alone. But together, we can move further and faster.

17. Today, we have leaders from government, cities, industry and international organisations in one room. That is an immense advantage. If we use this platform well — to exchange ideas, strengthen partnerships and scale solutions — we can turn shared risk into shared progress. I encourage all of you to use this summit not only to discuss challenges, but to build the collaborations that will deliver results.

18. Singapore stands ready to partner with cities and countries around the world in this journey. Let us work hand in hand to build stronger, more resilient coastlines, protect our communities and infrastructure, and secure a more sustainable future for generations to come. I wish you a productive summit, and I look forward to the ideas and partnerships that will emerge from it. Thank you.