Singapore River has always played a pivotal role in Singapore’s Development. Legend has it that Sang Nila Utama, an ancient Sumatran prince, once landed along the river and saw an animal that he thought to be a lion, whereupon he named the island Singa-pura, or “Lion City.”
In 1819, Sir Stamford Raffles arrived on Singapore River and established a British trading outpost. For more than a century afterward, Singapore river was a very important trading port.
Unfortunately, the river also suffered problems with congestion and pollution over the years. Due to the heavy traffic, expanding trade and increasing immigrants along Singapore River, the river start to get polluted and congested from the 1880s. Disposal of garbage, sewage, industrial waste products and oil spills polluted the Singapore River. As time went by, Singapore River began to be filled up with trash, dirty water and had a stench.
