PM Lee Hsien Loong at the Opening of Punggol Waterway

DPM Teo Chee Hean
Ministers
Grassroots leaders and residents of Punggol

Four years ago, at the National Day Rally in 2007, I described HDB’s plans for Punggol: how we planned to build Punggol 21 Plus, with a waterway and houses on both sides, so that residents can enjoy waterfront living. I showed a 3D "fly-through" of the Waterway, what it would look like, and I think it generated quite a lot of interest and excitement, and helped to encourage people to think about coming to Punggol to live.

I am very happy to see the completion of this Punggol Waterway today. Clean, flowing water; lots of greenery; plenty of open spaces; lots of residents actively participating, enjoying, sharing this green lung, in the middle of our little, tight city. You can kayak, you can fly a kite, you can stroll along the promenade; you can have a lot of fun.

It was a long journey to get here. The initial plan to build Punggol 21 was in the 1990s. But then, the Asian financial crisis came, and we had to delay the plans until the economy recovered, which took quite a number of years. After that, we had the chance to relook at it again, improved the plans and we turned Punggol 21 into Punggol 21 Plus, which would make Punggol the waterfront town of the 21st century.

A central feature of Punggol 21 Plus was this Waterway. It started off as a pipeline, because we have Punggol Reservoir on one side, we have Serangoon Reservoir on the other side – PUB reservoirs, to collect water because we need water to drink. We needed to connect the two reservoirs, and the original plan was to connect them using a pipeline. Most practical, most unexciting. But when the plans went to MND, Mr Mah Bow Tan, who was the Minister, said no, do not build a pipeline, let us make this a waterway. Make it something beautiful, something which Singaporeans can enjoy, something which can be special for residents, and which we can build on and appreciate for many more years to come. And it is because of that decision that we have today this Punggol Waterway and this project successful in Punggol. Some people even call it the "Venice of Punggol". Mr Mah Bow Tan is not able to be with us here today, but I think we all owe him, especially the Punggol residents, a big vote of thanks for this and many other things which he has done for us.

All this is part of Punggol’s development.  By the end of this year, there will be 23,000 families living in Punggol, and by 2015, in four years’ time, there will be a new commercial hub and town plaza, and Punggol MRT station just around here, in front of us. Punggol will be almost as big as Ang Mo Kio, and not at all an ulu town as it was many years ago.

We will keep some memories of the old Punggol. Just now, as I was walking along, Mr Khaw Boon Wan showed me the old Punggol Road, with the alignment still there, and the old bus stop along Punggol Road. I remembered all the times I came up along that road, to go to the Punggol Point for seafood. And I remember even longer ago than that, the time when I was in Outward Bound School in Pulau Ubin, and we came to Punggol for an orienteering exercise, to navigate from point to point with a map but without a compass. And it was quite possible, in those days, to get lost in Punggol, because there were no roads, no signs, there were some attap houses and tracks, and you had to find your way around, but we got lost.

Today’s Punggol is very different from what it was 44, 45 years ago. Today in Punggol, you have Treelodge@Punggol, our first "eco-precinct". Everything in the Treelodge, from solar panels to building orientation to rainwater harvesting, has in mind green, sustainable, to keep your footprint low, to live in harmony with the environment. HDB received international prizes for this project, and the experience we gained here in Treelodge@Punggol, we will apply to other townships in Singapore.

We remember Punggol’s heritage as a fishing village. There is one foot bridge across the Waterway, which is the Kelong Bridge which many of you would have walked along just now, with what looks like kelong sticks on both sides of the bridge. But these are high-tech sticks, and inside them we have LED lights, so that you can see where you are going at night, but it reminds you of what Punggol was like in the old days and I hope it will give the young generation of Singaporeans, the young residents, an impression of what was here before we built this.

I hope the Punggol residents will appreciate and treasure your new surroundings. It is something special. Unfortunately I do not think we can build such a waterway in many other places in Singapore, but each estate that we build will have its unique identity, its own special landmarks, its own particular charm. Each estate will not just be a set or blocks of flats or precincts, but a home for Singaporeans, a community of residents, a place where friendships are made and memories are formed.

The Government is committed not only to house all Singaporeans, but also to improve the amenities and conditions in our older estates, like Yishun, East Coast or Ang Mo Kio. And over the next 10 years, we are investing $10 billion over the next 10 years in upgrading projects, and we will partner residents and the community in this effort. So, for example, "My Waterway@Punggol" was a name chosen by residents, and we are looking for more ideas from the residents. We are looking for “Cool Ideas for Better HDB Living”, which Minister of State Lee Yi Shyan is leading, and looking for good suggestions to improve our flats, e.g. clothes-drying racks, or practical ways to make our lives more convenient and comfortable. So I ask for the Singaporeans’ support, not just for the particular projects, but for our overall direction and thrust to make this a special place for all Singaporeans to live in.

So I hope you enjoy this beautiful Waterway, not just Punggol residents, not just those living in Pasir Ris, but also visitors from other parts of Singapore and I know there are some of you here this evening, I met some just now who came all the way from Bukit Batok. I hope you come not too infrequently, but when you come here, please take care of it, keep it clean, so that all can enjoy the Waterway and its promenades and greenery, and the Singapore we have built together. Thank you very much and have a very good evening.