Shopkeepers in Serangoon area blame deluge on poor drainage
Kezia Toh Straits Times 22 Oct 11;
FLASH floods hit Little India, Ang Mo Kio and Serangoon, among other areas, after heavy rain fell islandwide between noon and 2pm yesterday.
The worst-hit was Upper Serangoon Road next to Woodsville Flyover, where it took an hour and 15 minutes for the flood waters to subside.
Works are ongoing in the area to build three road tunnels by the end of the year.
National water agency PUB is investigating the cause.
In Little India, Norris Road, Kampong Kapor Road and Owen Road were affected, as were the shopkeepers in Roberts Lane and Serangoon Road - who lamented that this was not the first time.
They blame it on poor drainage and the fact that there is a slight dip in Roberts Lane, so shops at the lower end bear the brunt of any overflow.
Mr Mannan Abdul, 32, the manager of a clothes retailer there, said that in nearly seven years of business, the shop has been affected by heavy rain once or twice a month.
But yesterday's flash flood is the worst he has seen in a year. He had to carry goods from the rear of the cramped shop to shelves at the front for safekeeping.
The waters came up to his ankles, he said.
In September last year, the shop suffered losses of nearly $800 when new shirts were soaked by dirty rainwater.
Mr Asad Chowdhury, 31, the manager of a provision shop in the same area, noted that the weather yesterday led to only 10 customers turning up, down from the usual 80 a day.
A drainage-improvement project is ongoing to alleviate flooding in Little India. Works to widen and deepen the drains along Syed Alwi Road and Kampong Kapor Road will be complete by the first quarter of 2013.
Road-raising works at Verdun Road - which was not affected by the deluge yesterday - have been completed.
Other areas hit by floods were a section along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 5, the junction of Jalan Pemimpin and Bishan Street 21, and the slip road from Kranji Expressway to Woodlands Road.
Waters in these areas subsided in 10 to 15 minutes, said PUB.
The National Environment Agency said on its website that showers with thunder in the afternoon are expected today and over the next two days.
Flash floods hit several areas around Singapore
Wayne Chan Channel NewsAsia 21 Oct 11;
SINGAPORE: Flash floods hit several roads in Singapore, with heavy rain falling over many areas on Friday afternoon.
One of the affected roads was in the Upper Serangoon area - after PIE exit, next to the Woodsville flyover - where two lanes became impassable to traffic.
According to national water agency PUB, flash floods also hit Woodlands Road near the Kranji Expressway (KJE) slip road; the Little India area (Norris Road, Kampong Kapor, Owen Road); Ang Mo Kio Ave 5; and the junction of Jalan Pemimpin and Bishan Street 21.
The flash floods subsided within 15 minutes in most areas, except at Upper Serangoon Road where there are ongoing roadworks near the Woodsville flyover.
Floods at Upper Serangoon Road took more than an hour to subside, and PUB is investigating the cause.
In Little India, PUB has an ongoing drainage improvement project to alleviate flooding in that area. The project is expected to complete in first quarter of 2013.
The National Environment Agency (NEA) said to expect light rain till 7pm Friday in various parts of Singapore.
Showers with thunder in the afternoon are also expected over the next three days.
- CNA/cc/ls
