Wet, wet, wet: Violent thunderstorms cause
traffic snarls
More downpours expected over next fortnight, warns weatherman
Published on Apr 3, 2012
A goods vehicle (above) toppled over after its driver lost control at Lornie Road yesterday morning, blocking two lanes
towards Thomson Road. No one was hurt. -- PHOTOS: LIANHE WANBAO
By Grace Chua
Violent pre-dawn thunderstorms known as Sumatra squalls rattled Singapore in the early hours of Monday
and Saturday.
They led to reports of flash floods, fallen trees and disrupted traffic, from Tampines to the town area.
Sumatra squalls are eastward-moving lines of thunderstorms that whip up strong gusty winds and heavy
rain, said the Meteorological Service (Singapore). They can develop at any time of the year and happen
regularly between April and October.
Singapore can expect a couple more over the next fortnight, as well as afternoon showers with thunder.
Toh Tuck Road had the heaviest rainfall on Monday, with 95.2mm falling by 10am. On Saturday, Tuas
had the highest total rainfall by 6am, with 97.4mm.
Three flash floods were reported on Monday. At the Marina South underpass, a drain grating was blocked
by debris. Tampines Street 81 was the scene of a localised flood due to intense rain, while water at Bishan
Street 21 collected in a depression in the road.
All three areas remained passable to traffic, said water agency PUB.
Traffic on two major roads was disrupted by fallen trees early on Monday, said the Land Transport
Authority.
One hold-up happened on the Central Expressway near the Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1 entrance between
7.22am and 7.40am, while the other was on Braddell Road from 7.27am to 7.57am.
A goods vehicle also lost control on a slippery stretch at Lornie Road.
It toppled and blocked two lanes towards Thomson Road at about 4.20am, but no one was injured.
On Saturday, a fallen tree caused disruption at Jalan Anak Bukit towards the city from 12.41pm to 2.39pm,
a spokesman for the authority added.
Seven other roadside trees were uprooted during intense rain over the weekend, said the National Parks
Board.
They were at Bedok, Bras Basah, MacPherson and West Coast. All were cleared within an hour of being
reported.
March was a damp month. Its total rainfall ranged from more than 300mm around Kranji and Punggol, to
174-200mm around Bishan and Tuas - above the long-term monthly average of 185.7mm.
April is likely to be wet as well, with average to above-average rainfall expected.
The north-east winds of the monsoon season have been replaced by the light and variable winds of the
inter-monsoon transitional period.
For the next fortnight, Singapore is expected to have mostly short, thundery showers in the afternoon on
five to six days.
Widespread Sumatra squalls are likely on one to two days.
It could also be a warm month. During the inter-monsoon period, light winds, cloudless skies and more
direct solar heating spell hot afternoons.
April also has the highest mean daily maximum temperature in the long term, at 31.7 deg C.
Overhead bridges get 'green' lights to
conserve energy
Published on Apr 3, 2012
This pedestrian overhead bridge near Block 233 in Boundary Road is one of 50 islandwide that have LED lights and
intelligent lighting detection systems. -- PHOTO: LAND TRANSPORT AUTHORITY
New commuter facilities such as overhead bridges, pedestrian underpasses and taxi stands will soon come
with 'green' features to conserve energy.
LED lighting will also be installed at existing overhead bridges and other facilities whose fluorescent lights
need replacing.
This announcement was made on Monday by the Land Transport Authority (LTA), which added that since
February, it had installed LED lights and intelligent lighting detection systems at 50 overhead bridges
islandwide.
Among them are one along Still Road South near Tao Nan School, and another near Block 233 in
Boundary Road.
According to the LTA, using LED lights at these bridges reduces their monthly energy consumption by up
to 50 per cent, compared to the energy used by fluorescent lights.
The total energy saved in a year by using LED lights at those 50 bridges is equal to the energy
consumption of 18 households living in five-room Housing Board (HDB) flats, an LTA spokesman said.
In an intelligent lighting detection system, sensors located along the staircase of each bridge will detect
when a pedestrian passes by and automatically switch on the lights. Lights go off after 10 minutes if no
one passes by.
On average, there are 40 lights on an overhead bridge and 70 per cent of these will be switched off in this
system.
The LTA said it would progressively implement this lighting detection system on new overhead bridges in
Singapore, reducing energy consumption at each bridge by up to 15 per cent.
Though some lights on the bridges will be switched off between midnight and 7am, the LTA said the new
system would be safe for pedestrians.
Lights at the overhead bridges' entrances and staircases will remain switched on for security reasons.
The LTA spokesman added that these new features were a 'feasible and cost-effective' way to save energy.
Moving forward, LTA said it would outfit new facilities such as overhead bridges, pedestrian underpasses,
linkways, bus shelters and taxi stands with LED lights.
Adjunct Professor Chong Chee Leong of the School of Science and Technology at SIM University said
LED lights not only reduce energy consumption but are also functional and cost efficient.
He said: 'Coupled with today's emerging environmental awareness, where there is a growing demand for
efficient energy lighting, expanding the use of LED lights is a step in the right direction.'
A separate trial to determine the feasibility of implementing LED street lamps in the road network is
ongoing.
LED lights are already being installed in several housing estates.
Last year, 10 town councils embarked on a project to replace some 340,000 fluorescent lights in corridors
and staircases.
Cambodian girl dies from bird flu: WHO
Published on Apr 3, 2012
A six-year-old Cambodian girl has died from bird flu, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday, in the
country's second fatality from the virus this year. -- PHOTO: AFP
PHNOM PENH (AFP) - A six-year-old Cambodian girl has died from bird flu, the World Health
Organization (WHO) said on Monday, in the country's second fatality from the virus this year.
The child, from central Kampong Chhnang province, fell ill on March 22 and passed away on March 30,
the WHO said in a joint statement with the Cambodian health ministry.
Hospital tests confirmed she had contracted the H5N1 strain of avian influenza.
'There are reports that the patient had contact with sick or dead poultry prior to becoming sick,' the
statement said.
The girl is the 20th person in Cambodia to become infected with H5N1 virus since 2003. Eighteen of those
cases have been fatal.
A two-year old boy became the country's first bird flu victim of 2012 when he succumbed to the virus in
January.
Concerns about bird flu have risen in the region after China in late December reported its first fatality in 18
months.
The H5N1 strain has killed 353 people worldwide since 2003, according to WHO statistics.