Coastal Protection Bill to safeguard Singapore’s coastline against rising sea levels and extreme weather events introduced
26 February 2026
On 3 February 2026, the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (“MSE”) introduced the Coastal Protection Bill (“CPB”) in Parliament. The CPB seeks to safeguard Singapore’s coastline against rising sea levels and extreme weather events by establishing landowners’ clear responsibilities in relation to coastal protection and ensuring compliance with coastal protection standards.
As a low-lying country, Singapore is particularly vulnerable to the threat of rising sea levels. The CPB seeks to ensure a continuous line of coastal defence around Singapore. This will be achieved through requirements for landowners, including ministries, statutory boards, and lessees, to implement coastal protection measures for their respective land plots. Coastal protection is a long-term endeavour, which requires years of planning and construction. The CPB was introduced at that time to give landowners and the industry sufficient notice and lead time to be familiar with the requirements.
The Government will implement most of the coastal protection measures as it owns 70% of the coastline. The remaining coastline is occupied by private landowners and lessees who will need to implement their own coastal protection measures. Landowners will be given at least 10 years’ advance notice to implement coastal protection measures. This decentralised approach will allow landowners to have the flexibility of selecting measures that meet their needs and dovetailing coastal protection works with their planned developments.
The Government and the Public Utilities Board (“PUB”) will provide landowners with financial and technical support to meet the minimum coastal protection standards. More information on the support will be made available in due course.
The CPB will also amend the Sewerage and Drainage Act 1999 and rename it the Sewerage, Drainage and Coastal Protection Act.
The key features of the CPB are set out below.
Landowners to implement coastal protection measures
PUB will launch the Coastal Protection Code of Practice (“COP”) in mid-2026, which will specify the planning, design, operation, and maintenance standards of coastal protection structures in Singapore. The COP will require landowners and long-term lessees of prescribed places along the coast to implement coastal protection measures for their land plots in accordance with the latest standards set out in the COP.
To ensure seamless protection along the entire coastline, landowners and long-term lessees must connect their measures with those on adjacent land plots. This is because any unprotected section may allow seawater to enter the area during a coastal flooding event, such as storm surges. The CPB establishes clear requirements to facilitate connection works. It also allows PUB to require a landowner to connect his measure to the coastal protection measure on his neighbour’s land.
Completed coastal protection measures to be designated in Coastal Protection Interpretation Plan
Upon completion, all coastal protection measures will be designated in the Coastal Protection Interpretation Plan, a digital map where contractors and registered users can access relevant details of the completed coastal protection measures. Thereafter, landowners’ and long-term lessees’ obligations to operate and maintain the measures will come into effect.
Designating Transiently Floodable Areas
To minimise impact on land use, PUB will also have the powers to designate Transiently Floodable Areas such as at beaches and coastal parks. As there is a possibility that these areas may be flooded temporarily for a few days due to storm surges, landowners are required to prepare a flood response plan for such scenarios. This is to allow the public to enjoy unimpeded access to the seafront.
Provisions to ensure continued functionality of coastal protection measures
To ensure the continued functionality of the coastal protection measures on their land, landowners and long-term lessees will be required to inspect, monitor, maintain, and repair their coastal protection measures. Landowners will be required to inform PUB of any observed damage to the coastal protection measure and submit a rectification plan. Landowners will also be required to appoint a Flood Protection Manager to assist them in complying with the coastal protection requirements.
PUB will maintain centralised regulatory control of the measures. Landowners and long-term lessees will need to seek PUB’s approval before undertaking works for purposes of coastal protection or which may affect existing coastal protection measures. This is to minimise the risk of any accidental damage to coastal protection measures during construction or development works along the coast.
Enforcement of coastal protection
A continuous line of defence along Singapore’s coastline is critical to safeguard the country against sea level rise. The CPB will set out for penalties for actions that affect the continuous line of defence, and for failures to comply with written notices from PUB.
Reference materials
The following materials are available on the Parliament website www.parliament.gov.sg and MSE website www.mse.gov.sg: