Features to alleviate flooding woes should store water too, he says
Kezia Toh Straits Times 16 Jan 12;
DROUGHTS are more worrying than flash floods, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan said yesterday, as Singapore approaches the dry spell of the North-east Monsoon next month.
Changing weather patterns mean that there is a greater likelihood of intense rain - as well as dry spells, he said.
'What is happening to the weather now is greater variability, there are days with very intense rain, and those days of intense rains may be increasing,' said Dr Balakrishnan.
'But it is equally possible, and indeed likely, that there will also be dry spells.'
He cited a drought in the early part of 2010 which affected Johor Baru in neighbouring Malaysia as well as Singapore, which led to a dip in water levels in reservoirs here and in Johor.
'Prolonged drought is something that is of greater worry to me, than a flash flood which can be resolved in 15 minutes to half an hour,' he said.
His comments came as Singapore approaches the dry phase of the North-east Monsoon in February and March, which typically sees fair and occasionally windy days with little or no rain.
That is why recommendations by an expert panel last week to tackle flooding problems should also cater to possible droughts, said Dr Balakrishnan, who was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of Eco Day Out 2012 @ South West, a recycling event organised by the South West Community Development Council, the National Environment Agency and Hong Kah grassroots organisations.
The panel had proposed detention ponds and green roofs to alleviate flooding problems.
These features, said Dr Balakrishnan, can also store water which will be recycled to wash cars and streets, and water the plants, during dry spells.
Yesterday, Dr Balakrishnan also spelled out a timeline for plans to ease flooding woes.
Improvement works at Liat Towers and Lucky Plaza - which bore the brunt of the waterworks in June 2010 and last month - must be completed within three months, he said.
Meanwhile, the decision whether to install a detention pond to solve Orchard Road's flood woes, and where to locate it, should be made in the next six months, he added.
It would require land the size of two to three football fields, and store excess stormwater temporarily, releasing it at a controlled rate to protect downstream areas.
The Stamford Canal will also be scrutinised for any possible increase in capacity, he said.
Last week, the panel advised the authorities to invest in a digital map of land heights, known as a digital elevation map, and said it would have to be accurate to within 10cm to be useful.
Within a year, the beginning of the elevation map should take shape, said Dr Balakrishnan.
But the proposals still need careful planning before they can become reality, he said, counting finances and trade-offs such as land use as factors.
He said: 'It does take some time to make sure we've considered all the factors, and come up with a plan that is realistic, implementable, and one which the public will agree is worth the money that will be spent.'
Anti-flood measures must also cater to droughts: Dr Balakrishnan
Sara Grosse Channel NewsAsia 15 Jan 12;
SINGAPORE: Singapore's investments in measures to prevent flooding must be just as effective in managing the other extreme weather condition - droughts. Environment and Water Resources Minister Dr Vivian Balakrishnan said this at a community driven recycling event, ECo Day Out at South West on Sunday.
The environment minister pointed out during the event that the variability in the weather has been greater, which means more intense rain and possible dry spells.
This is something that the panel of experts that is reviewing flood protection should bear in mind, said Dr Balakrishnan.
He said: "A prolonged drought is something which is of greater worry to me than a flash flood, which can be resolved over 15 minutes to half an hour. One key point which I'm watching is to make sure that a lot of the recommendations that have been put by panel would also make sense if we have to deal in future with dry seasons or with droughts.
"So for instance, having green roofs, having detention ponds, having close water cycle loops, using water more efficiently at a local level. For example, do we really need portable water fit for drinking to be used for washing cars, to clean the streets, to water our plants?"
The panel of experts on anti-flood measures submitted its report earlier on Tuesday.
Some of the other recommendations by the flood panel include the use of rooftops and more porous pavements.
While the Environment Minister agrees with all the recommendations, he said there might be some issues translating them into reality.
Dr Balakrishnan said: "It means getting the finances, and equally important, there are also trade-offs involved. For instance, land and alternative uses for that land.
"It does take some time to make sure we have considered all the factors and come up with a plan which is realistic, which is implementable and one which the public will agree is worth the money that will be spent on these plans."
He added that the national water agency, PUB, will have its hands full in fixing the flood problem.
The improvement works at Liat Towers and Lucky Plaza must be completed within three months. It also has about six months to decide if it should go ahead to build detention ponds, as well as where they will be located.
The Stamford Canal will be checked to see if its current capacity is really maximised within nine months, and by the end of the year, an accurate digital elevation map of Singapore should take shape.
-CNA/ac
Managing floods ... and droughts
Sara Grosse Today Online 16 Jan 12;
SINGAPORE - Singapore's investments in anti-flood measures must be just as effective in managing droughts, the other extreme weather condition, Environment and Water Resources Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said yesterday at a community event.
The greater variability in the weather means more intense rain and possible dry spells, which the panel of experts reviewing Singapore's flood protection should bear in mind, he said.
"A prolonged drought is something which is of greater worry to me than a flash flood, which can be resolved over 15 minutes to half an hour," said Dr Balakrishnan. "A key point that I'm watching is to make sure that a lot of the recommendations by the panel would also make sense if we have to deal in future with dry seasons or with droughts.
"For example, do we really need potable water fit for drinking to be used for washing cars, to clean the streets, to water our plants?"
The panel submitted its report on Tuesday. The recommendations included having green rooftops and more porous pavements.
While Dr Balakrishnan agreed with all the recommendations, he said there may be some issues in making them a reality.
"It means getting the finances and, equally important, there are also trade-offs involved. For instance, land and alternative uses for that land," he said.
"It does take some time to make sure we have considered all the factors and come up with a plan that is realistic, which is implementable and one which the public will agree is worth the money that will be spent."
He added that national water agency PUB will be busy fixing the flood problem.
Improvement work at Liat Towers and Lucky Plaza must be completed within three months, while PUB has about six months to decide if it should go ahead to build detention ponds and their locations.
Stamford Canal will be checked within nine months to see if its current capacity is really maximised and, by the end of the year, an accurate digital elevation map of Singapore should take shape.
Drainage issues mostly solved: PUB chairman
Remaining isolated pockets need to be thought through
Lynn Kan Business Times 15 Jan 12;
SINGAPORE has made huge strides in tackling its drainage issues, but small isolated pockets remain to be solved, PUB chairman Tan Gee Paw told BT.
'When you look at it overall, we've done extremely well in terms of drainage,' said Mr Tan.
He pointed to the findings laid out in a recently publicised expert panel report, which showed that Singapore successfully brought down flood-prone areas from 629 ha in 1980 to 56 ha today.
'But there are still pockets to be played out. We've tackled the bigger issues. Now comes the isolated pockets that will be very difficult and very costly. This will have to be thought through very carefully.'
Mr Tan called the 12-member expert panel's assessment on Singapore's flood mitigation measures a 'balanced report'.
'(The reduction in flood-prone areas) is an achievement that many countries will find difficult to follow, especially one in a tropical climate when the rainfall doesn't come in drizzles, but when it comes, it comes, ' he said.
Mr Tan spoke to BT at the sidelines of the 26th annual Chua Chor Teck Memorial Lecture last Wednesday. He had delivered this year's lecture.
Mr Tan, a former director of Keppel Corporation in the 1970s, spoke about the commonalities between the offshore and marine industry and Singapore's water story.
When asked how Singapore could best deal with climate change, Mr Tan said that it is best not to wait for statistical evidence and to prepare for it right away.
'Anecdotal evidence is sufficient for us to take action,' he said. 'I think we need 50-60 years of data . . . for us to definitely say (that climate change is a proven phenomena). So, the jury is out. But it is best for us to be prepared.'
Mr Tan said that the government has already embarked on planning to gird Singapore against these vagaries of weather change.
At the same time, Singapore's water industry should also be keeping its fingers on the pulse of morphing weather patterns.
'Every crisis provides a challenge for industries. We would expect the water industry to open their eyes and watch out for changing water patterns, how to move into the right countries at the right time,' he said.
Although Singapore's woes revolve around too much rainfall - three cases of floods hit the Orchard Road shopping belt in 18 months - Mr Tan said that the republic's enduring concern is about securing enough water for itself.
'Climate change - as it tends to the extremes - will challenge the paradigm of water supply,' he said. 'What is important is the reliability of water supply. There is no use having a lot of water, yet no reliability.
'Recycling (water) does help, because it gives a degree of reliability against water. But it's not the ultimate solution because you still need the first drop of water.
'The ultimate would be seawater desalting. Maybe the future lies in technological breakthroughs in seawater desalting, which can then pave the way to meet the challenge of climate change.'
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