PUB STEPS UP MONSOON PREPARATIONS
National water agency, PUB, has stepped up efforts to ensure clean and free-flowing
drains throughout the island in preparation of the upcoming Northeast Monsoon season.
Inspection and cleansing of 90 hotspots island-wide, including known flood-prone areas
in Little India and Geylang, have increased to ensure there are no chokes from fallen
leaves or litter in the drains and drainage outlets. Checks on more than 170 worksites
have also intensified to ensure that the drainage system is not blocked.
In addition, PUB is working with other agencies such as the Land Transport Authority
(LTA) as part of a road drainage taskforce to ensure that the drainage systems in road
tunnels and underpasses are free-flowing and the pumping facilities are working well.
Tapping on LTA’s 24-hour CCTV monitoring of expressways, major road junctions and
road tunnels, PUB is now able to view road conditions at over 560 locations. PUB will
also work with LTA to warn motorists if there is any flooding on the roads via the
Expressway Monitoring and Advisory System.
Twenty wireless water level sensors have been installed to monitor water levels in drains
and canals in flood-prone areas. When the water in these drains and canals reach a
certain level, alerts are sent to PUB officers who then check the sites and take action to
inform residents in the areas.
These efforts supplement PUB’s ongoing flood alleviation programme, under which
recent completed projects have reduced Singapore’s flood-prone areas from 135
hectares in 2006 to 98 hectares today, about 0.15% of Singapore’s total land area.
The latest flood alleviation project to be completed is Marina Barrage, a dam built across
the Marina Channel. By keeping seawater out, the barrage acts as a tidal barrier to
reduce flash floods in low-lying areas in the city. Its nine crest gates will be lowered if
there is excess water in the basin. In the event that heavy rains coincide with high tides,
seven drainage pumps will be activated to remove excess storm water in the basin.
Several projects in the fast-track programme to alleviate flooding at critical locations
have also been completed in the past year. They include improvement works at Maple
Avenue, Cuscaden Road/Tomlinson Road, Tanjong Katong Road/Mountbatten Road,
Kramat Lane, Commonwealth Avenue, Nee Soon Road and Joan Road, and a project to
raise a 41-kilometre stretch of the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE) near the Tuas
Underpass. By the end of this year, works at Bedok North Avenue 3 and Neram Road
will be completed, while the drainage improvement project at Sims Avenue/Lorong 35
Geylang will be completed by April next year.
Mr Tan Nguan Sen, PUB’s Director of Catchment and Waterways, said, “Over the last
30 years, PUB has invested more than $2 billion in drainage improvement works,
bringing down the number of flood-prone areas from 3,200 hectares in the 1970s to less
than 100 hectares today.”
Rainfall in Singapore is often heavy and intense, localised flash floods may occur at lowlying areas and certain spots due to bottlenecks in the local drainage systems and
obstructions in drainage outlets. To minimise such occurrences, it is important to keep
the drains and canals clean and free-flowing during this monsoon season.
“While widespread flooding is now a thing of the past, litter washed into the drains and
drainage holes by the rain can cause blockages that impede the flow of water,”
explained Mr Tan. “We therefore urge members of the public to do their part by not
littering and keeping the catchments and waterways clean. They can also call PUB's 24hour contact centre, PUB-One at 1800-2846600, to report obstructions in drains so we
can deploy personnel to clear them away.”
PUB has sent out advisories to some 200 residents and shop owners in low-lying areas
such as Kampong Lorong Buangkok, Jalan Seaview, Mountbatten Road/Meyer Road,
Lorong 101 – Lorong 106 Changi and Everitt North Road, to help them prepare for the
monsoon season. They are advised to take precautions to protect their belongings by
storing them on higher levels, or placing sandbags at entrances to block floodwaters.
Weather outlook
According to the National Environment Agency’s (NEA) Meteorological Services Division,
the Northeast Monsoon season is likely to set in around late November 2008. This
marks the onset of the rainy season in Singapore which is expected to last till January
2009. December and January are the wettest months of the year. During the upcoming
rainy season, Singapore is likely to experience afternoon and late evening showers,
which could be heavy at times. In addition, a steady strengthening of winds over the
South China Sea known as a monsoon surge, typically occurs a few times during the
season. These monsoon surges tend to bring prolonged moderate to heavy rain, usually
lasting a few days, to Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore.
Besides the regular forecasts, NEA will issue warnings through the media when heavy
rain or prolonged monsoon rain is expected. This will help the public to better prepare for
the heavy rain events.
Members of the public can obtain the latest weather forecasts including heavy rain
warnings by tuning in to radio broadcasts, calling the NEA's Metereological Services
Division for weather forecast at 6542 7788, or visiting the NEA website www.nea.gov.sg.
The public can also call PUB-One or tune in to radio broadcasts to check the flood
situation.