The Singapore River
Singapore River, river/waterway, is located within the Central Region. The 3.2 km long river has been the lifeline of Singapore for more than 150 years. Proof of its ancient beginnings may be monumented on the Singapore Stone with undecipherable inscriptions found in 1819, at the river mouth. With Singapore's strategic location and establishment as a free-port, trade and commerce developed rapidly. The economic activity filled the river-port's waterways and quays with flotilla of boats, with workmen loading and unloading goods for import or re-export in bumboats or lighters. The river's inadequate and unsuitable berthing facilities, plus the dramatic increase of shipping led to the development and growth of the New (later Keppel) Harbour. Through the years, the river became polluted, and an environmental cleanup from 1983 cleared the waters, upgraded its banks, and gave the river "a new lease of life".