PUB to widen drains after Bukit Timah flooding
Written by Our Correspondent
Following the disastrous flooding at Bukit Timah last week which caused immense damage to the properties and cars in the affected areas, PUB now announced that it will be spending $67.5 million over the next three years to widen the drains in five areas around Singapore to make them less prone to floods.
The designated areas are in Jalan Haji Alias, Telok Kurau, Keppel Road, Jurong Port Road and Lincoln Road.
Construction work to widen the drainage canals in Bukit Timah will begin only in the third quarter of next year which raise questions on why it was not done earlier.
The beleaguered Minister of Environment and Water Resources Dr Yaacob Ibrahim claimed that the flooding at Bukit Timah was a “freak” event which occurs “once in fifty years”.
However in 2006, another “freak” flooding occurs at Thomson under his watch when heavy downpour caused the MacRitchie and Seletar reservoirs to overflow.
Dr Yaacob did not apologize to the public for what appears to be a lapse on the part of his ministry except to appeal for ”patience”. He assumed the portfolio in 2004.
The state media has been busy of late trying to limit the damage from the fallout by emphasizing on the measures PUB will be taken to prevent a similar “freak” event from recurring.
PAP MP Christopher de Souza visited the areas affected by the flooding two days later and promised to “do something” about it.
PUB will be installing water sensors in the drainage canals at Bukit Timah which will warn the residents and traffic police when the water level reaches the 50 per cent mark.
An angry resident by the name of Michael Yeo wrote in to the Straits Times Forum on 25 November 2009 demanding that developers bear the cost of flood prevention.
He was also baffled by the persistence of the flooding problem despite the widening of canals for many years.
“Developments alongside the Bukit Timah Canal are susceptible to flash floods judging from historical evidence……We are told that widening of the canals has been ongoing for many years. Yet, the flooding problem has not stopped.”
Another Singaporean by the name of Narayana wrote cryptically if the flood was really a “freak” event or could it be tracked in a letter published in the Straits Times forum today:
“Although we are into the annual monsoon period when heavy rain is only to be expected, it does seem strange that with all the sophisticated tracking technology now available to meteorologists, there was no advance warning of this ‘extraordinarily intensive storm’ for the public to prepare themselves adequately.
The report informs that ‘this flood comes three years after one of Singapore’s worst floodings in recent history, in December 2006′.
However, this appears to conflict with the comment attributed to the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Yaacob Ibrahim (’Deluge a ‘once in 50 years’ event’, last Saturday) that this was a ‘freak’ event.”
PUB claimed that it is working with the three Bukit Timah condominiums whose basement carparks were partially submerged during the flooding to prevent a recurrence.
Without an independent press nor an effective opposition in parliament, the Bukit Timah residents may never know the real cause of the flooding.
In the meantime, they will have to accept the official explanation that it is a “freak” event which “cannot be planned for” in the words of Dr Yaacob Ibrahim.
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Italian Big Sausage on Sat, 28th Nov 2009 10:39 am
Next, time do it pre-emptively and not reactively lah.
But then, the people should not expect another next time.
To expect mediocre performance from them would be an insult to them.
stan on Sat, 28th Nov 2009 11:43 am
Well election is next year mah.. they know people are put off already.. so what they will do now is the do the damage control.
I wonder how much can they recover back from this event.
Bird Talk on Sat, 28th Nov 2009 1:00 pm
BT flood is over – nothing much can be done, so lets move on.
Now, go,..look at other places where you think theres likely going to be flooded and start digging. Please don’t catch our poor minister with his pants down again.
Foot Reflextology on Sat, 28th Nov 2009 1:09 pm
Lets scratch the itchy part and leave the pain in BT aside.
His Highness words.
Bird Talk on Sat, 28th Nov 2009 1:29 pm
Is Dr. Yaacob a civil engineer or a fireman?
We have fully committed ourselves to Asean’s Haze Agreement:-
ASEAN AGREEMENT ON TRANSBOUNDARY HAZE POLLUTION
The Parties to this Agreement,
http://www.aseansec.org/pdf/agr_haze.pdf
But we cannot even prevent a flood in our tiny little red dot.
Pereniality Sukambik on Sat, 28th Nov 2009 7:52 pm
Most if not all 1st worlds do not have this problem:
1. super high if not highest HUMidity and hot weather. Other 1st worlds have cool and shiok humidity and weather of several seasons. Air con can never and will never be able to replicate nature. Somemore, these 1st worlds get this shiokiness for free.
2. HAZE from anywhere fogging the island. Where got like this overseas wan? We are talking about practically whole island can be shrouded by haze. What happen to foreign relations?
3. Flood????
Sad on Sun, 29th Nov 2009 6:55 am
PUB to widen road. To all sg citizens. Why do we taxpayers have to pay for this “freak” event, when our $m ministers say this is only once in 50 yrs. I think the money shuld be better spend on the poorer group and not helping those rich staying there. I think those rich staying there shuld pay additional for the widening. One “f” event you widen the canal to win elections, what about all other freaking event eg: m in Nkf and patients still paying, the loss of billions and no one is account for. Why cpf has min sum and not given back to the citizens at 65 which was first set up for. Are we going wait for another “f” for us to be in a crisis and left slaving all our live for no fault of us.
NB on Sun, 29th Nov 2009 4:42 pm
Many of our government civil servants are working in their ivory tower. Most of them are good in their academics but are fair from desire in their ability outside the school work. That why you can hear some not so intelligent replies like “what to do, it had happened, let move on”, “Mee Siam Mai Hum”, “put up chillies and onions to prevent the rain from coming down this evening”….
Super fedup on Mon, 30th Nov 2009 5:58 pm
The statement that such flood occurs once in 50 years is absolutely ridiculous. I live in the Coronation Rd West vicinity and it flooded on 30 Nov 2000, 19 Dec 2000, 30 Oct 2001, 3 Apr 2007, 28 Aug 2008 and now 19 Nov 2009. That is at least 6 times in 9 years! No doubt that the PUB is widening the drains at Jalan Haji Alias – the contractors had been at it for a few months already. With the rainy days coming, did they even provide for the water run offs to be diverted to another drainage source given that the works are obstructing the existing drains at Jalan Siantan and Haji Alias????? I am so fed up with ruined furniture and clean ups! This is not a freak accident – one guy walked into our house in Coronation Road West and claimed he was from PUB and said that the works probably contributed to the flood. Why was this not in the news report?