SINGAPORE – To prevent one of Singapore’s last coastal cliffs and rocky shores from crumbling, rock masses at Sentosa’s western tip need to be nailed in place and brittle outcrops shielded from rough waves.

In 2027, a suite of measures will be undertaken to strengthen parts of Tanjong Rimau, a biodiversity haven that has been experiencing slope damage, rock falls and erosion over the years.

They include drilling metal rods or nails into the rock and soil, laying erosion-control blankets and lining X-shaped concrete blocks – called XblocPlus – at the foot of some slopes to protect the shoreline from coastal erosion.

These works across four weak slope areas within a 400m stretch of Tanjong Rimau are expected to take nine months to complete. The measures were revealed in an environmental assessment released in June on Sentosa’s website.

A few hundred of the interlocking XblocPlus blocks, each weighing about a tonne, will be placed at three sites in Tanjong Rimau, in partnership with national water agency PUB and the solution’s creator Delta Marine Consultants, among others.

This solution is also one of five novel coastal protection measures that will be tested islandwide over three years to help determine whether they can be used for future coastal protection works.

As one of Singapore’s remaining natural rocky shore and coastal cliff habitats, its richness in biodiversity and the unique geology of its intertidal zone make it a popular site for nature lovers.

“Tanjong Rimau is the best and one of the last of the accessible places in Singapore to see the type of coastal forest that clings to rocky outcrops,” said Shawn Lum, a senior lecturer at NTU’s Asian School of the Environment.

Muhammad Nasry Abdul Nasir, executive d...