Satish Cheney, Channel NewsAsia 5 Apr 09;
SINGAPORE: There were flash floods in various parts of Singapore, including Marine Parade and Chai Chee Road, on Sunday.
A video sent in by a Channel NewsAsia viewer shows dark clouds gathering in Tampines. The clouds there looked like a small twister, but dissipated after a while.
The flash floods caused a huge headache for some living in the Upper Paya Lebar area.
Once the rain subsided, many in the area were busy cleaning up inside and outside their houses. Some said the water level reached their ankles during the heavy downpour.
For others - they had to deal with damage to their cars.
One car owner said: "(The water level was) about one metre, and my car was flooded. There's a short circuit now. I can't start (my car) and I think a few cars here also have (the same problem)."
The Public Utilities Board’s (PUB’s) director of catchment and waterways, Tan Nguan Sen, said PUB is investigating the cause of the flash floods.
The places with localised flash floods included the MacPherson area, as well as the Upper Paya Lebar Road, which was the worst hit area on Sunday.
The flash floods subsided within 30 minutes.
According to data collected by the National Environment Agency (NEA), the highest rainfall recorded on Sunday was 97.6 mm, which is more than 50 per cent of the monthly average rainfall in April alone.
But this is not unusual during the inter-monsoon season.
- CNA/yt
