PUB wants to hire weather experts

Jamie Ee Wen Wei Straits Times 5 Sep 10;

Meteorologists and hydrologists deal with water-related subjects, including storm conditions.

Well, national water agency PUB wants to hire a meteorologist and a hydrologist.

The recruitment advertisements appeared on online job portal JobStreet on Aug 17.

But when contacted, a PUB spokesman said the recruitment was not prompted by the series of flash floods in recent months.

The Sunday Times understands that while PUB already has a hydrologist on its staff, it does not have a meteorologist.

The spokesman said the agency has been looking to hire such experts since February but it did not put out recruitment ads then.

She added that the agency carries out its mass recruitment exercise for managers and professionals in January and July every year.

On the job portal, PUB said the meteorologist will join a team involved in the study of the causes of particular weather conditions.

The job scope includes weather forecasting, researching on weather patterns and climate changes, and applying the information to practical problems such as predicting rainfall intensities for reservoir operations and flood management.

The hydrologist will plan responses to weather conditions like droughts and floods.

He or she will also recommend changes to the drainage designs for water supply and flood control, among others.

Unusually heavy rain triggered three massive floods between June and July this year, which resulted in damage to homes and property.

PUB is working to improve drainage in affected areas.