Singapore cannot sustain 6.5 million comfortably

Letter from Yong Koi Kwong, Straits Times Forum 21 Feb 08;

IT WAS reported recently in The Straits Times that the country planners are toying with the idea of a 6.5 million city state.

MM Lee is of the opinion that the city state could accommodate a country of 5-5.5 million with a certain level of comfort. I could not but agree more with MM Lee's idea.

Singapore is situated in a hot humid equatorial region. The average relative humidity is 80 per cent with a daily average temperature of 24 to 32 degrees Celcius for virtually the whole year. The average number of hours of sunshine is 5.5 to 6 hours. It is very unpleasant to live in such an environment if there is no natural ventilation to take away one's perspiration.

Our country is unique in that we are a sovereign city state with no countryside. Only half the land could be built up (including about 12 per cent for roads). The rest of the country is occupied by military training grounds, central catchment area, 17 reservoirs and golf courses and five airports or airfields and two naval bases.

In spite of our relentless land reclamation for the last 40-odd years which grew our country to the present area of about 700 sq km and a projected area of 780 sq km, Singapore would be the most densely populated country with 12,800 persons per sq km of habitable area if the population is projected to grow to 5 million. If the population is planned for 6.5 million, the average number of persons per sq km is 16,640.

We always compare ourselves with Hong Kong. Hong Kong is a special case as there is no necessity to make aside land for defence and reservoirs. If Hong Kong is to grow to 10 million people the average density is only less than 10,000 per sq km (the area of Hong Kong is 1,045 sq m).

Hong Kong is in the sub-tropical region with a lower relative humidity. Half the year, the weather in Hong Kong is relatively cool and pleasant.

The aim of economic growth is to provide a good overall living environment for all the people, not just figures.

The founding group of leaders headed by MM Lee has done a good job of bringing our country to this present level of living standards for the vast majority of the population and they rarely made mistakes.

We could live with the accolade such as the busiest port, best run airline and airport but the accolade that we are the densest populated sovereign state is one which we could live without.

This is the only piece of real estate which we Singaporeans have on this planet Earth and would be proud to call our country.