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Hunter Cutting

Unprecedented rains flood Singapore - 0 views

wildsingaporenews.blogspot.com/...n-blamed-for-orchard-road.html

flooding Singapore precipitation Asia Southeast Asia Orchard Road

shared by Hunter Cutting on 18 Jun 10 - Cached
  • The first heavy downpour of the morning had carried debris and vegetation into the 2.7m by 2.7m culvert, starting a chain of events that led eventually to the flash flood.It was choked where it drained into the side of Delfi Orchard, so water was directed only into the side along Forum the Shopping Mall.When a second intense rainstorm the same morning added more water to the drains within a short period of time, the canal overflowed and water gushed up to the surface of Orchard Road, causing the worst floods there in 26 years.
  • Although national water agency PUB alerted the traffic police when the sensors at the start of each Stamford Canal channel indicated water levels were at 75 per cent, the water level rose too abruptly to get the alert out to shopkeepers.At a press conference yesterday, the PUB said the heavy rains were responsible for sweeping the debris into the drain.
  • What was unusual about Wednesday's storm was its intensity and its two peaks, he said. The first peak could have brought a certain amount of debris, and there was no way for PUB officers to safely check and clean it out. The next peak soon after might have brought even more debris.
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  • Ms Lee Bee Wah, MP for Ang Mo Kio GRC and deputy chairman of the National Development and Environment Government Parliamentary Committees, said the flooding was a 'timely wake-up call' that something more needs to be done to prevent a similar occurrence.On Wednesday morning, 101 mm of rain fell over central Singapore in less than three hours. The average rainfall for the entire month of June is 162 mm.
  • Mr Cedric Foo, the chairman of the National Development and Environment GPCs, said he was concerned about the impact the flood would have on Singapore's image. He said: 'If such flash floods recur frequently, it will dent Singapore's standing as one of the world's most liveable cities.'
  • Mr Eugene Heng, the founder of Waterways Watch society, a volunteer group which helps clean up Singapore's canals and reservoirs, queried the practice of outsourcing critical maintenance work.
  • He added: 'I am surprised by the Orchard Road flooding. If we say our drainage system is good, then we should be prepared for unforeseen circumstances.'Historical rainfall data is not reliable, given the new circumstances caused by climate change.'
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