PUB spending $68m to stem flooding

Drains to be widened in several areas over the next three years
Amresh Gunasingham, Straits Times 28 Nov 09;

THE PUB is spending $67.5million over the next three years to widen the drains in five areas around Singapore to make them less prone to floods.

They are in Jalan Haji Alias, Telok Kurau, Keppel Road, Jurong Port Road and Lincoln Road.

The national water agency also recently completed 10 projects in places such as Sims Avenue, Geylang and Commonwealth Avenue, which are low-lying areas prone to being inundated by the year-end deluge. The projects were fast-tracked and completed in two years, at least a year ahead of schedule.

Almost half the year's rainfall of 2,357.8mm comes during the months of November, December and January.

The projects are part of ongoing efforts that have seen the number of flood-prone areas in Singapore reduced from 3,200ha in the 1970s to 79ha today.

Another project at the junction of Tanjong Katong and Mountbatten Roads will see over $1million invested to widen a portion of the drainage system from 1m at present, to 3.5m.

The drains in this area of reclaimed land of 0.5ha regularly overflow when bouts of heavy rain coincide with high tides during the north-east monsoon season, flooding nearby homes up to three times a month.

Construction will be completed by the first quarter of next year.

PUB is also working with the three Bukit Timah condominiums whose basement carparks were partially submerged during an unusually intense rainstorm last week, to prevent future occurrences.

The building management at the three-decade-old Corona Ville condominium, in Jalan Haji Alias, for example, is looking to build a concrete hump at the entrance to its basement carpark to block surface run-off during a storm.

This should be completed by early next month.

Mr Edwin Tan, chairman of the residents' committee at the condominium, said the estimated cost of damage to the eight cars affected by the floods ran into a 'few hundred thousand dollars', but residents were, so far, adopting a sense of perspective in assessing the cost to their property.

'This is something beyond everyone's control,' said Mr Tan, whose $140,000 BMW X4 was partially damaged in the floods.

The Sixth Avenue Centre is exploring the installation of a water sensor system to provide a flood alert, said Mr S.K. Goh of the building's managing agent, Land & Building Services.

The system would trigger an alarm once the water reached a certain level so car owners could move their vehicles.

Mr Goh said the carpark does have water pumps, but these could not cope with the 'sudden surge of water' that occurred on Nov19, when around 92mm of rain was dumped in the area in just half an hour in the early afternoon.

It is understood that the owners of four cars and one motorcycle which were submerged have been asked to submit claims for damages to the building's management by next week.

At the two-year-old Tessarina condominium in Wilby Road, more sandbags have been placed around the control rooms in the 500-lot basement carpark that provide electricity to the estate's five buildings.

'We are working with the management to explore other measures they can take,' said a PUB spokesman, adding that the estate's drainage network was also being assessed.

Mr Chan Ming Hwang, senior manager, catchment and waterways department, with the PUB, said ejector pumps used in basement carparks to channel rainwater outside have to be checked regularly to prevent them from being choked by debris such as silt and mud.