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It¡¯s the monsoon rainy season again but for
those living or working on International Road and in the Braddell area,
flash floods are now a thing of the past. This is due to the completion
of major drainage projects in these areas. |
In 2006, PUB reduced the flood-prone areas
by 9 ha, or the size of 15 football fields. This is part of PUB¡¯s
continuous drainage improvement works which has reduced the flood-prone
areas in Singapore from 3,200 ha in the 1970s to 130 ha today. |
The flood-prone areas will decrease
further when the Marina Barrage is completed next year, which will
alleviate flooding in the low-lying city areas. |
"Floods at the International Road and
Braddell were a common sight in the 1990s as the drains were old
and too small to cope with increased surface runoff due to
urbanisation. With the widening and deepening of the drains by
PUB, we have solved the flooding in these areas," said Mr Tan
Nguan Sen, PUB's Director of Catchment and Waterways. |
Floods in low-lying areas |
In Singapore, rainfall tends to be
intense and flash floods are most likely to occur in low-lying
areas when heavy rains coincide with high tide. |
"PUB has been giving flood advisories
to 600 residents and shop owners in the low-lying areas every year
to advise them on the precautions to take during the monsoon
seasons," said Mr Tan. |
Flash floods in these areas will be
alleviated with the completion of the Marina Barrage by end next
year. |
The Marina Barrage has nine crest
gates that work in harmony and will be lowered to release excess
water during heavy rains to prevent the low-lying city areas from
flooding. If heavy rains coincide with high tide, huge drainage
pumps will be activated and the excess water pumped out to the
sea. |
Localised flash floods |
Most flash floods are of a localised
nature. This can occur when an area is hit by intense rainfall and
the stormwater cannot be discharged quickly enough into the drains
because of blockages or constrictions. |
"The quick-changing weather these days
can lead to such flash floods which are expected to be rare and of
short duration. However, PUB will track every such location and
implement measures to prevent these incidences from happening
again. |
"There are a myriad of reasons why
such flash floods could happen. It could be due to a choke in the
drains, uneven road surfaces and so on. Once we found a dustbin
that had fallen into the drain and caused a choke resulting in a
localised flash flood," said Mr Tan. |
A multi-agency team made up of PUB,
Land Transport Authority (LTA) and National Environment Agency (NEA),
has been systematically monitoring and resolving these areas where
localised flash floods occur. The team has solved 800 cases over
the last 20 years. |
They have done improvement works such
as raising, re-grading and resurfacing of roads, widening and
deepening the drains, and constructing additional drainage outlets
along the roads. |
Outlook for first fortnight of
December |
According to the NEA¡¯s Meteorological
Services Division, generally wet weather can be expected with
widespread intermittent rain on one to three days during the first
fortnight of December. Moderate to heavy showers of short duration
in the afternoon can also be expected on six to seven days. |
The public can obtain the latest
weather reports, including heavy rain warnings, by calling the
NEA's weather forecast hotline at 6542 7788, or visiting "Weather
Report" at our website:
www.nea.gov.sg. The public can also call PUB-One or tune in to
radio broadcasts to check the weather and flood situation. |
The low-lying areas include: |
i) Chinatown/ City
area
(Mosque Street, Pagoda Street, Temple Street, Trengganu Street,
Upper Pickering Street (between South Bridge Road and New Bridge
Road), South Bridge Road, Upper Hokien Street (between South
Bridge Road and New Bridge Road), Chulia Street (beside UOB
Plaza), Circular Road and McCallum Street / Boon Tat Link.
ii) Tanjong Katong
area
(Dakota Crescent, Meyer Place, Meyer Road, Dunman Road, Fort Road,
Rose Lane and Stadium Road)
iii) Geylang area
(Guillemard Road (between Lor 26 to 32 Geylang), Lor 4 to Lor 22,
Geylang, Lor 101 to 106, Changi Road and Langsat Road)
iv) Area off Jalan
Besar (between Weld Road and Kitchener Road)
v) Lorong Buangkok |
About PUB |
PUB is a statutory board under the
Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources. It is the water
agency that manages Singapore¡¯s water supply, water catchment and
sewerage in an integrated way. PUB was named Water Agency of the
Year at the Global Water Awards 2006 |
About PUB¡¯s tagline: Water for All:
Conserve, Value, Enjoy |
PUB has ensured a diversified and
sustainable supply of water for Singapore with the Four National
Taps (local catchment water, imported water, NEWater, desalinated
water). |
To provide water for all, PUB calls on
all Singaporeans to play our part to conserve water, keep our
water catchments and waterways clean and build a relationship with
water so we can enjoy our water resources. We can then have enough
water for all uses ¨C for industry, for living, for life, now and
for generations to come. |
Source:
www.pub.gov.sg Media Release 6
Dec 2006 |
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