TheKallang River (Chinese:加冷河,Malay:Sungei Kallang) is the longest river inSingapore, flowing for 10 kilometers from theLower Peirce Reservoir (originally named "Kallang River Reservoir") to theKallang Basin.[1] It originates in theplanning area ofCentral Water Catchment, flows in a southeast direction throughBishan andToa Payoh, before finally arriving inKallang.
Prior to extensiveland reclamation along Singapore's southeastern coast, the Kallang River used to empty into theSingapore Straits at the Kallang Basin, near whereMerdeka Bridge is standing.[2] Today, the Kallang River flows into the open sea via theMarina Channel.
Tributaries of the Kallang River include Sungei Whampoa, the Pelton Canal, and the Bukit Timah Second Diversion Canal. Other rivers that empty into the Kallang Basin, other than the Kallang River, include theGeylang River andRochor River. All these aforementionedwaterways form part of theMarina Reservoir, as a result of theMarina Barrage.
The Kallang Park Connector of thePark Connector Network (PCN) runs almost parallel to the Kallang River, providing a stretch of recreational space along the river. TheKallang Riverside Park straddles both sides of the Kallang River near the river mouth.
In pre-colonial times, the indigenous Orang Kallang tribe of theOrang Laut ethnic group lived in theswamps at the mouth of the Kallang River, and fished from their boats, seldom venturing out into the open sea. At the time ofSir Stamford Raffles landing in Singapore in 1819, half of thepopulation of 1,000 were theOrang Kallang.
Kallang River was also the place, where in the early days theBugistraders fromSulawesi (Celebes) unloaded theircargoes ofspices andtortoise shells,gold dust andslaves from theirpalari or theirleteh-leteh. Thesesailing boats were a common sight off the sea front even up to the 1960s.
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Today, this long, winding river has little or no industry except for a short distance, although a newindustrial estate atKallang Basin, nearKallang Bahru, has been built.
ThePelton Canal (Chinese:佩尔顿水道) is a canalised river that flows fromUbi viaMacPherson into the Kallang River inKallang. It is one of the numerous tributaries of the Kallang River.
A section of the undergroundKallang-Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE) follows the course of the Pelton Canal.
Sungei Whampoa (Malay for "Whampoa River",Chinese:黄埔河) begins inWhampoa, near Jalan Rajah, and flows into the Kallang River inKallang.
TheBukit Timah Second Diversion Canal (Chinese:武吉知马第二分水渠) is a canalised river flowing fromWhampoa toKallang, following closely the path of thePan Island Expressway (PIE). It joins the Kallang River near the traffic interchange at Whampoa Flyover.
Other than those listed above, there is another unnamed Kallang River tributary inToa Payoh. It flows from Braddell Road, via Toa Payoh North and Lorong 6 Toa Payoh, before meeting the Kallang River at Lorong 8 Toa Payoh.
Kallang River is now part of thewater catchment area for theMarina Reservoir. Adam, theMarina Barrage, was built at the mouth of the Marina Channel atMarina South. With the completion of theMarina Barrage in 2008, the entire region comprising thebasins of theSingapore River,Rochor River,Geylang River and Kallang River has transformed into a water catchment area.
In April 2006, theSingapore government announced plans to give a 200-metre stretch of the Kallang River atKolam Ayer aS$2.5 million facelift.
The "demonstration project" by theNational Parks Board (NParks) and thePublic Utilities Board (PUB) is part of theActive, Beautiful and Clean Waters Programme to transform rivers andreservoirs into vibrant community hubs, and to getSingaporeans to cherish and take care of their waterways. NParks and the PUB reviewed some of the world's best rivers such as theCharles River in theUnited States and theCheonggye Stream inSeoul to draw inspiration and learn best practices.
By August 2007, theKolam Ayer stretch of the river was transformed to include moregreenery, floating decks, pathways andboardwalks forrecreational activities. Awater wheel was introduced as the centrepiece of the project. Thewater level was kept at a constant level — 3 metres deep — making activities such askayaking anddragon boating possible.
The upstream of the Kallang River is located at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park. Officially opened on 17 March 2012 by Prime MinisterLee Hsien Loong, the meandering river's capacity is now 40% more than when it was a canal. The river helps to slow the flow of rainwater so that downstream waterways have more time to drain. Bio-engineering techniques such assoil bioengineering and intensive hydraulic calculations were applied to create this. Besides slowing down rainwater, it now also offers residents a new recreational experience – soft planted river banks encourage people to get close to the water.
