PUB to install water level sensors at affected areas in Bukit Timah after “freak” downpour
November 25th, 2009 | 
Author: Written by Our Correspondent
National water agency PUB will be installing water level sensors at areas in Bukit Timah affected by the massive flooding last week which raises questions on why it was not done earlier.
Last Thursday, Bukit Timah residents were caught unaware by a “freak” downpour leading to flooding which caused considerable damage to their properties and cars.
Minister of Environment Dr Yaacob Ibrahim pleaded ignorance, describing the downpour as a “freak” event which occurs once in fifty years.
Dr Yaacob had used the same phrase to describe the flooding of Thomson area less than 3 years earlier in December 2006.
PUB said the intensity of the storm meant that the diversion canal could not drain water away quickly enough, resulting in massive flooding along Bukit Timah Road.
It also laid the blame on the construction of new condominiums nearby which changed the land surface type from grass areas to concrete surfaces.
The sensors will alert PUB when the water level is fifty per cent full which will then warn residents and traffic police of potential flooding.
PUB will also widen the diversion canal, from its current 11 metres on average to 26 metres to allow the diversion canal to cope with more intense downpours.
Following another PR disaster for Dr Yaacob after the Geylang Serai mass food poisoning outbreak earlier this year, the state media went into overdrive to limit the damage from the fallout.
The authorities are absolved of all responsibilities or blame for the flooding which was described as an event which cannot be “planned for” by Dr Yaacob.
Two days later, the papers splashed a photo of PAP MP Christopher de Souza visiting the areas affected by the flood.
Measures taken by PUB to prevent future occurrences are given extensive publicity to give Singaporeans the impression that the government is doing something about the problem.
Dr Yaacob assumed the portfolio of the Minister of Environment in 2004. He had five entire years to implement these plans which would have stopped the “freak” event from happening last Thursday.
Despite his obvious oversight, he was not taken to task in the parliamentary session on Monday.
The three opposition MPs are unusually quiet while his fellow MPs are unlikely to cause him any embarrassment.
The ruling party occupies 82 out of 84 seats in the Singapore parliament. There is no effective opposition to check on the government.
With the media firmly under the control of the ruling party, mistakes made by its leaders are almost immediately swept under the carpet.
In the absence of a free media, Singaporeans have no objective or accurate way of assessing the performance of their multi-millionaire ministers.
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21 Responses to “PUB to install water level sensors at affected areas in Bukit Timah after “freak” downpour”
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TR: The sensors will alert PUB when the water level is fifty per cent full which will then warn residents and traffic police of potential flooding. What a smart idea. So wat happen when it reached 100%. Drive to Bukit Timah hill. Maybe we all should pray that it will not flood if it’s rain.
Why react on hindsight when flooding can be prevented in the 1st place if this was installed before the flood?
Imagine if China. So big a place. how to manage?
What is so freak about rain?
This is rainy season that started some time ago.
The cycle repeated for hundreds of years.
How can rain be freak?
I pray in rain god you know?
do sensor for what? make a bigger canal and save the money doing up the sensor that cannot help avoid another freak accident. there is something call family away from house/ carpark due to holiday or work. we pay top dollars for ministers who can easily says it’s a freak accident and only doing work after 2 flooding. i wonder if singapore sinks. maybe all the ministers will disappear without us knowing what happened too.
This Bukit Timah flood is a non issue for the majority of Singaporeans.
Bukit Timah is a neghbourhood of millionaires, and they don’t give a damn, they will just locate to another neighbourhood if the flood gets worse.
It doesn’t matter if PUB has been remiss in its duties, save for some other man in the street who has to suffer to travel through Bukit Timah in public transport or send their children to school in the schools there, nobody gives a hoot about the flood.
I suggest TR give this problem a rest. TR has had its hits and misses in the pass, another big miss being the hoo ha over the China table coach and petition to sack MP ER Lee Siew Hwa.
I hear only excuses. It is staggering incompetence of the MEWR that we see being played out. Contingency planning was not done, preventive measures were not taken and apparently the diversion canals were not activated in time. PUB in particular was caught sleeping on the job.
The budget allocated for drainage works was a total of $370m for FY2008 and FY2009 of which it was reported that only $59m was spent in the last 12 months. What happened to the rest of the monies for this important task? See the details in
http://www.mof.gov.sg/budget_2008/expenditure_overview/mewr.html
http://www.mof.gov.sg/budget_2009/expenditure_overview/mewr.html
We glean from the sources above that $180m was needed to reduce the flood-prone areas from 100 ha to 80 ha (a mere 20 ha) and a further $190m to go from 80 ha to 66 ha (just 14 ha).
Quite frankly, if we tally up the total public spent over the years, Singapore should be free of flood-prone areas by NOW!
I beg to disagree with this statement “This Bukit Timah flood is a non issue for the majority of Singaporeans. ”
What about the students who were late for exams as a result of the flood and the traffic congestion? What about the people who has to pass that way to go to town? What about the people whose cars, goods and other items were damaged by the rain?
Did you speak to the affected residents or the shopkeepers who were affected by the flood? Did you speak to the drivers whose cars were submerged and damaged as a result of the flood? Did you speak to the people who were late for their exams due to the flood ?
Please stop thinking of your personal opinion and look at the bigger picture of the people who are affected when the canal is not upgraded in time.
Err. I mean the canal is not widen, not “upgraded” sorry.
I also disagree with the statement “This Bukit Timah flood is a non issue for the majority of Singaporeans.”, at least at 2 different levels.
1. Recently, it was the Bukit Timah area. In the recent past, it was the Thomson area. Where about the other problem areas which the MSM has not highlighted? The same excuse was applied, by the minister no less, that “low lying areas” are prone to flooding. WRONG answer! Flooding is due to poor drainage.
2. Underspending of the allocated budget should be an alarm bell. Are the funds diverted to other areas, leaving the intended projects unfinished and hence resulting in damages and losses? If this is happening in the MEWR (exposed only by a “freak” downpour), what about the other ministries? What has the Auditor General been doing? Where is the accountability to the People?
“此地无银三百两” (A man buries his gold and thinks in order not to let anyone find the gold by mistake, he puts up a sign to say there is no gold here.)
Why do all these wayang since the next flooding is due in 50 years time? Same thing that happened in the Geylang Serai incident.
Divide the number of people affected by the floods in Bukit Timah and Thomson by the total population of Singapore and you will see how “important” this flooding issue is.
Let’s work out a theoretical but reasonable number. 100,000 ?
100,000 divide by 4 million, you get what, 2.5 percent ! Is this something the average Singapore Joe in the street will give two hoots about since it is not happening in his own backyard ?
Give this non-issue a rest, let the millionaires use their yachts to traverse the canals of Bukit Timah and Thomson.
This is a problem of the rich, so let the rich solve their own problems.
Eugene on Wed, 25th Nov 2009 11:35 am
…look at the bigger picture of the people who are affected when the canal is not upgraded in time…??
People living on the NE MRT line waited for more than 10 years to wait for their transport convenience.
What is wrong with people like you or your dogs or your precious car “swimming” once every 50 years in the canal?
Neither you nor those “get off my face” overly pampered dogs living in Bukit Timah have any priority over the rest of Singapore.
Get used to it. We have bot bigger priorities.
Divide the number of people affected by the drug overdose in KKH by the total population of Singapore and you will see how “important” this drug overdose issue is.
Let’s work out a theoretical but reasonable number. 2, plus their families. Say 4 per patient, so 10.
10 divide by 4 million, you get what, 0.00025 percent ! Is this something the average Singapore Joe in the street will give two hoots about since it is not happening in his own backyard ?
This is a problem of the cancer patients, so let the cancer patients solve their own problems.
in zaobao today, PUB announced a 20 million spending over 5 years to widen the canal but of course they didn’t admit their mistake.
To ppl with the mentality of it’s a small matter,only affect minority of people, i advise you to read the following
First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak out for me.
@qwerty,
I sympathise with the families of the KKH botch-up. The 2 patients may die, and it is a mistake that should never have been made.
On the other hand, no one died in the Bukit Timah flood, only the cars, including a black Ferrari and others parked in an uppity condo’s basement.
To equate the two is disingenuous, but surprisingly your analogy really helps bring home my point.
The bottomline : Sad to say, most average Joes in Singapore care not for the KKH fiasco nor for the Bukit Timah floods because it doesn’t impact their lives.
Asiaone Online forum: Life is more important than money. I have encountered flood in Bukit Timah during my school days and have to wade my way to school. It is dangerous and I do not want any kids to encounter that or any mishap to happen. Better to be safe than sorry.
If the installation of the sensor can alert the traffic police, surrounding schools and residential, I think it will be a good temporary measure until the canal can be widened. Don’t just criticize. If you have a better solution that can be implemented NOW, tell the PUB.
My 2c: Life is more important than money, in sg Really?. I beg to differ. At least at the age of 50+. I see money is more important for most in sg. Millionaire, ministers and civil servant. Let just be clear, flood happens in 2006, plan was to widen the canal but not done(as report). Of course, as citizen we have to criticize, if we claimed we are world class. Yes, there a better solutions, question is will the Minister or PUB listen. In a private company, if you fail you quit. Since it’s going to be another 50years so why bother with any temporary sensors. A better solutions is CHANGED,
I think we both agree that life is more important than property, but that is not to say that property and belongings are not important at all.
You seem to be fixated on the fact that the people there should be ignored because all of them are rich. You do realise that road is a public road, and many students travel to schools on public buses that ply that route, right?
The people living there also pay taxes, and have a right to proper public infrastructure, just like every else. Eugene and Steve also made valid points.
If you just happened to be there at that point in time, and the delay cost you your exam/flight/interview etc, all because of a flood that could have been prevented if a promised widening had actually occurred, would you want someone to tell you “oh, it didn’t happen to me, so LLST, you die your business”?
qwerty: You seem to be fixated on the fact that the people there should be ignored because all of them are rich. Not that the people shld be ignored. Don’t you think the people there are being ignored rich or poor. It’s take 40 years for someone like MM to acknowledge his mistake. Well, it will take another 40yrs anyone to realise the flood is a mistake.
People pay taxes and have rights. You really don’t have much rights or voices , but depends on who is in power.
“would you want someone to tell you “oh, it didn’t happen to me, so LLST, you die your business”? Precisely this is the real facts about living in sg isn’t it. Flood is one freak event, blunder in KKH, scars, NKF, minibonds, Lehman brothers.etc
That’s the way our govt officials treat us. But it doesn’t have to be the way we treat each other.
qwerty: Sadly, in sg, we are lead by so call world class leaders. We never to treat each other this way. But a good leader will lead by example. Why shld you or all of us subject to this treatment by officials.
I refer to “No privileged pampered dogs around on Wed, 25th Nov 2009 3:12 pm” post on
“People living on the NE MRT line waited for more than 10 years to wait for their transport convenience.
What is wrong with people like you or your dogs or your precious car “swimming” once every 50 years in the canal?”
Don’t I wish I can afford a car or live in Bukit Timah and can afford to keep a dog?
What makes you assume I am rich? In fact I don’t have a car or live there, but I am concerned about the flood.
Does only people who are affected by the flood has a right to have a say the issue? Singaporeans are not apathic – they do care about what happens to other Singaporeans. For example, the charity shows and sad stories that are reported in newspapers and TV usually get a lot of donations from Singaporeans who cared. When the flood happens, Singaporeans selfless help other drivers who are affected by the flood in Bukit Timah road. These shows that they do care.
I have no problems with waiting 5 years for the widening of the canal; I understand that it take times to do a good job. I do think that the minister at least try to solve the problem is good, and give him credit for trying.
But I resent the statement that people are saying that it does not matters and only impact a few, when many others are impacted. It is the act downplaying the impact of flood that I have concern with, and that saying this is a freak accident when bukit timah is frequently flooded. In fact if you travel pass bukit timah during moonsoon season, you will find the road are often flooded, but to a lesser degree.
If ordinary Singaporeans like myself does not speak out, will the minister take steps to widen the canal? Will another Thomson Road flood accident happen?