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Sea change needed
Saitama example could provide solution to flood woes
Letter from Tan Keng Tat
I REFER to the PUB’s plans to “fast-track drainage improvement works — widening and deepening drains and raising road levels — in five areas around Singapore” to prevent potential floods in future (“Wider, deeper drains”, July 24).
These plans are commendable but paradoxically, in the experience of Kasukabe City in the low-lying Saitama Prefecture, near Tokyo, only a holistic and audacious approach can stop flash floods in Singapore for good. Anything less will only postpone the inevitable.
Kasukabe City, which was hit by six major floods, solved its problem by constructing the world’s largest underground water infrastructure, consisting of five giant, vertical intake silos, each 65 metres in depth.
These giant intake silos are located near recalcitrant rivers, canals and waterways to stop rain water from rushing onto the streets.
Rain water, which drains into these giant intake silos, flows at an accelerated rate along a huge 6.3km long underground tunnel into a colossal surge cavern, measuring 177m in length, 78m in width and 25.4m in height.
From here, the water is discharged into the sea by a number of 10-megawatt gasturbine pumps, at an astonishing rate of 200 cubic metres per second.
Since Singapore plans to be self-sufficient in water management in the future, adopting this system can turn a perennial nuisance into a precious asset by not discharging the water into the sea in the first instance, but instead into our 15 reservoirs.
Only when these reservoirs are judiciously filled to near-capacity will the excess water be discharged into the sea.
I hope the PUB will study the unique flood-control system in the Saitama Prefecture and, if deemed viable, adopt or adapt it post haste before our reputation as one of the world’s most liveable cities is reduced to tatters by flash floods.
YiNG
SWEATLESS178investors ( Date: 26-Jul-2010 16:40) Posted:
Actually, i feel we are blessed with so much rain. Better to have plenty water than dried, parched land. Too much water, man can manage it. No water or insufficient supply of it - do you want to live in such a place?
Let's rewind back to April '10 and May '10. During that two tortuous months, do you recall how damn hot it was... temperatures soaring above 35C for several weeks. So, it is naturally good that we now enjoy some temperate weather in June and July. Ying and Yang at play. |
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Actually, i feel we are blessed with so much rain. Better to have plenty water than dried, parched land. Too much water, man can manage it. No water or insufficient supply of it - do you want to live in such a place?
Let's rewind back to April '10 and May '10. During that two tortuous months, do you recall how damn hot it was... temperatures soaring above 35C for several weeks. So, it is naturally good that we now enjoy some temperate weather in June and July. Ying and Yang at play.
I think it is already too late! Look at the skies, and see how thick the smoke clouds are. The moon becomes faint at night and sometimes in the day you may even "look" directly at the sun. (Don't do it unless the sun is shinning behind the clouds, if not it might blind you). This shows how bad the situation is globally.
pharoah88 ( Date: 26-Jul-2010 09:36) Posted:
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It’s not too late ...
Letter from Keith Low Sheng Hng
AFTER the recent spate of torrential rains and the floods that followed, many questioned the Public Utilities Board’s ability to handle large amounts of rainfall and whether more could be done to improve Singapore’s drainage system.
But while the PUB certainly has much work to do, we should not forget we can do something about the root of the problem:
The rain.
Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew last week called the rain and floods an “Act of God”.
I would call it “a Reaction of God to the Actions of Men”.
Climate change has wreaked havoc on weather patterns the world over. Japan is battling a heatwave with temperatures hitting 40.9°C, while China is facing deadly floods. Singapore’s average annual temperature has risen in recent years, reports tell us.
So, what does this mean to us? Simply:
We should do our part by trying to save the environment. This can be done in small increments, in many simple ways, like lessening the use of air-conditioners or turning lights off when not in use.
They may seem like insignificant acts, but clearly, we’re already seeing the effects of mankind’s environmental callousness.
It’s not too late to reverse that. |
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It’s not too late ...
Letter from Keith Low Sheng Hng
AFTER the recent spate of torrential rains and the floods that followed, many questioned the Public Utilities Board’s ability to handle large amounts of rainfall and whether more could be done to improve Singapore’s drainage system.
But while the PUB certainly has much work to do, we should not forget we can do something about the root of the problem:
The rain.
Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew last week called the rain and floods an “Act of God”.
I would call it “a Reaction of God to the Actions of Men”.
Climate change has wreaked havoc on weather patterns the world over. Japan is battling a heatwave with temperatures hitting 40.9°C, while China is facing deadly floods. Singapore’s average annual temperature has risen in recent years, reports tell us.
So, what does this mean to us? Simply:
We should do our part by trying to save the environment. This can be done in small increments, in many simple ways, like lessening the use of air-conditioners or turning lights off when not in use.
They may seem like insignificant acts, but clearly, we’re already seeing the effects of mankind’s environmental callousness.
It’s not too late to reverse that.
sOunds similar to the SHARE PRICE ALERT SYSTEM ? ? ? ?
Are investors / traders MORE SECURED, ASSURED, EMPOWERED ? ? ? ?
pharoah88 ( Date: 26-Jul-2010 09:18) Posted:
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Fighting future floods
Early warning system to alert Joo Chiat residents to future incidents
Hetty Musfir ah
hetty@mediacorp.com.sg
SINGAPORE
This information would be compiled into a register and — should a flood strike — grassroots leaders would be activated to call and warn residents.
“We are offering this kind of liaison network,” he said. “If anything, it can help residents feel more assured, more secured and empowered.”
Mr Chan added that the taskforce wants to be part of a bigger emergency response plan that he hopes the government will consider. During the dialogue session held at Siglap South Community Centre yesterday, PUB promised to improve the drainage system in Joo Chiat and will set up an earlywarning system for them. Works are also underway to deepen and widen the Siglap Canal, a major water artery in the area that is linked to the sea. Residents shared with PUB their experiences during the recent flash floods, with the one on July 17 hitting them hard.
Some even suggested building a barrage across the canal.
PUB director for catchment and waterways Tan Nguan Sen replied that for a barrage to be built, land has to be set aside for a pumping station, adding that flood barriers could be installed instead. — A community alert and response network to fight future floods could take shape in Joo Chiat, if Member of Parliament Chan Soo Sen has his way. Speaking at a dialogue session between Joo Chiat residents and the Public Utilities Board, Mr Chan said a taskforce could be set up to collect information like phone numbers and addresses of residents. |
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Fighting future floods
Early warning system to alert Joo Chiat residents to future incidents
Hetty Musfir ah
hetty@mediacorp.com.sg
SINGAPORE
This information would be compiled into a register and — should a flood strike — grassroots leaders would be activated to call and warn residents.
“We are offering this kind of liaison network,” he said. “If anything, it can help residents feel more assured, more secured and empowered.”
Mr Chan added that the taskforce wants to be part of a bigger emergency response plan that he hopes the government will consider. During the dialogue session held at Siglap South Community Centre yesterday, PUB promised to improve the drainage system in Joo Chiat and will set up an earlywarning system for them. Works are also underway to deepen and widen the Siglap Canal, a major water artery in the area that is linked to the sea. Residents shared with PUB their experiences during the recent flash floods, with the one on July 17 hitting them hard.
Some even suggested building a barrage across the canal.
PUB director for catchment and waterways Tan Nguan Sen replied that for a barrage to be built, land has to be set aside for a pumping station, adding that flood barriers could be installed instead.
— A community alert and response network to fight future floods could take shape in Joo Chiat, if Member of Parliament Chan Soo Sen has his way. Speaking at a dialogue session between Joo Chiat residents and the Public Utilities Board, Mr Chan said a taskforce could be set up to collect information like phone numbers and addresses of residents.
Very important life-skills to teach your children; learn how to swim and paddle; live and park above ground level; what else?
pharoah88 ( Date: 25-Jul-2010 15:22) Posted:
DREAM
WILL TOMORROW BE BETTER ? ? ? ? |
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It is not always that things go wrong because someone conduct himself improperly. Often, it is pure incompetency of the bureaucracy, and unwillingness to admit it.
An example, the escape of mas selamat. Not sure if anyone was held accountable for his escape. The lower ranking ones, maybe.
So! if not happy with their "flood" conclusion. What to do?
Isolator ( Date: 25-Jul-2010 00:05) Posted:
| One of these days if one of their key party member conduct bribery or crime, will they bring him to justice to tell the public their member is not clean afterall? I am sure they will cover up secretly since they cannot say sorry.... Bear in mind, it is very easy for them to cover up as almost everyone in legislation are their own people.... This is Singapore!! lol.. |
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One of these days if one of their key party member conduct bribery or crime, will they bring him to justice to tell the public their member is not clean afterall? I am sure they will cover up secretly since they cannot say sorry.... Bear in mind, it is very easy for them to cover up as almost everyone in legislation are their own people.... This is Singapore!! lol..
SANDBAGGING is NOT the SAME as a MULTI-BAGGER STOCK ? ? ? ?
SANDBAGGING is a MEDIOCRE SOLUTION ? ? ? ?
SANDBAGGING DON'T need MERITO-CRACY ? ? ? ?
SANGBAGGING is "BONSAI" in SCALE ? ? ? ?
178investors ( Date: 24-Jul-2010 11:55) Posted:
Sandbags are now hot property, in demand. Sandbags are temporary measure to reduce flooding. Many said they have to build perimeter walls around their properties, as permanent measure, to hold back future floods.
Visions of our future city changing fast from Singapore : "Global City" --> "Sandbag City" --> "Fortress City". Let's hope they come up with acchitecturally pleasing fortresses.
laulan's right.. can't sleep in basement carpark .. risky.. shouldn't basement parking lots go for discount to compensate risk to life and property?
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(File pic) Orchard Rd flood at Liat Towers
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SINGAPORE: Consider an emergency response plan for floods - that's a suggestion from one MP for the authorities in view of the recent spate of floods around Singapore.
A series of dialogue sessions are already planned for residents and the national water agency, PUB.
In response to queries from Channel NewsAsia, PUB said it will meet various MPs and grassroots leaders over the next few days.
They include Minister Lui Tuck Yew for the Cambridge Road area, MP Heng Chee How for the Jalan Bahagia area, MP Hri Kumar for Upper Thomson and MP Chan Soo Sen for Telok Kurau.
Concerned residents also want to know how to go about protecting themselves.
Battling floods is nothing new to Joo Chiat estate which is located on low lying ground.
But residents, including the area's MP said they've never seen flooding as bad as in this past month.
For example, one childcare centre was flooded twice over a month.
Channel NewsAsia was told PUB handed out sand bags on Thursday.
For now, the centre has about 50 of these bags stacked at its entrances.
PUB said 780 sandbags have been provided to affected residents across the island to protect their basement entrances and homes in the event of another flood.
Sandbags are just a temporary solution so the centre has engaged a professional engineer to look at more permanent fixtures and this may include constructing raised barriers and walls around the perimeter of the building.
Residents in the area will have a dialogue with the PUB on Sunday to address concerns over how to mitigate future floodings and protect their property.
There's also a call for more proactive measures.
MP for Joo Chiat, Chan Soo Sen said: "My residents would like the authorities to tell us a little bit more about what we can do. We accept that no amount of engineering can totally eliminate the threat.
“If we want to totally eliminate the threat it will be a very high cost option so from time to time this can happen. I think our residents here in Joo Chiat are rational people. They understand that but what they would like to know is what can we do? Do the authorities have some specific advice on what we can do to mitigate the damages?
"We do have emergency response systems in case of a civil defence emergency or terrorist emergency. We have been briefed, sometimes we have even been exercised, so is there something that can be done along this line in case there is going to be a flood?
“What should be a recall system? Who should call who? Where shall we go to? What should be our roles? What kind of report we should give the relevant authorities? What type of advise we should give the residents and how we can calm down the residents and perhaps help them save themselves as well as their properties.”
Some businesses affected by the floods have heeded the call to act.
Liat Towers at Orchard Road, severely hit by rising waters, have more than 200 sandbags around the building.
Its building services executive Chik Hai Lam said it bought 220 sandbags and the PUB added another 60 to the lot on Thursday.
Mr Chik said the bags have helped to "slow down" the water coming in.
It also engaged a professional engineer to propose permanent solutions like flood barriers already installed at the Wisma Atria mall.
Mr Chik added: "Our sand bags will be here as long as the barriers are not up, beyond that. There will be the mountable, likely, glass panels which we can slot in or slide in to be implemented along the front."
Such permanent structures cost about S$500,000 and need to be imported. So it may take about half a year before it can be installed.
Meanwhile, Liat Towers said it wants to set up raised kerbs or walls, at least two feet high to prevent waters from drowning its basement shops.
It's hoping to get the green light from authorities to have the kerbs installed by the end of next week.
Mr Chik continued: "We will be keeping it in line along our building boundary, right on the front exposed area here."
The building's management also plans to install additional pumps to drain out excess water.
At least three shops in the area have been closed for the past month due damage from the floods.
Separately, the PUB said 90 of its staff are on high alert round the clock.
360 contractors, 15 tankers and 20 pumps are also on standby.
PUB has alerted buildings along Orchard Road such as Liat Towers, Lucky Plaza, Tong Building, Delfi Orchard and residences such as Tessarina and Corona Ville on the forecasted weather this weekend.
PUB has met six condominium management, seven commercial buildings and more than 80 affected residents to explain the flood situation and provide advice on what they can do to protect their premises.
Some of them are Tessarina Condominium, Corona Ville, Cluny Court and affected premises/households at Orchard Road, Cambridge Road, Jalan Taman, Telok Kurau, Rienzi Street, Ernani Road, Fidelio Road and Tosca Terrace.
New localised drainage improvement works will be fast tracked in areas such as Cambridge/Dorset, Tembiling Road / Duku Road and Sin Ming Road to Marymount Road.
But there's some reprieve for now - the weather man said Typhoon "Chanthu" has dissipated after making landfall over southern China and is unlikely to have a major impact on Singapore this weekend.
But NEA's Meteorological Services Division said to still expect "short-duration showers with thunder over many areas in the morning and early afternoon.
The public is advised to obtain the latest weather reports, including heavy rain warnings, by tuning in to radio broadcasts, calling NEA's weather forecast hotline at 65427788, following @NEAsg on Twitter, accessing the mobile weather service, available free at Weather@SG or visit the NEA website
The public can also visit the PUB website
for the safety advisory for floods. - CNA/vm |
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"BONSAI" will start recruiting ENGINEERS ? ? ? ?
SOME ENGINEERS will be LUCKY to earn S$ Million annual compensations ? ? ? ?
Isolator ( Date: 24-Jul-2010 12:37) Posted:
I can only say the Party members are lousy. I believe none come from Engineering background, most are likely from lawyer, doctor, or maybe marketing...  |
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nO WONDER ? ? ? ?
In last week's newspapers, MINISTER GEORGE accepted that CHINA CALLED SINGAPORE "BONSAI" ? ? ? ?
100mm is REALLY "BONSAI" COMPARED to 500mm ? ? ? ?
TRUE ? ? ? ?
DON'T TELL ME ? ? ? ?
MERITO-CRACY also has "BONSAI" version ? ? ? ?
HOPE NOT ? ? ? ?
OTHERWISE, PAY also should be "BONSAI" version TOO ? ? ? ?
178investors ( Date: 23-Jul-2010 17:18) Posted:
The 3 recent floods happened after rainfall had topped 100mm within an hour. Govt feel this is already too difficult a level for them to manage/prevent flooding. Is 100mm the "new normal"? Historical rainfall going back decades showed Singapore had experienced much higher rainfall. Back in the 70's, we had rainfall topping 500mm within an hour. Does the Govt think such heavy downpour will not happen again? What if? Imagine 500 is 5 times 100.
In as far as we can understand from official statements, highest paid Cabinet says we can't be building more and more bigger canals as they compete for space with other infrastructures. That "line of thinking" says we can only build all things horizontally in one dimension. Lee is right: no amount of engineering can prevent flood, in a land-constrained country, if every engineers think using that "line of thinking".
I am sure our engineers are more than capable of multi-stacking competing infrastructures (roads, train rails, canals, rivers, buildings, underground networks of pipes and cables, etc.) where feasible. Look at our MRT train lines. Some part of it run under the singapore river. Some part of CTE tunnel also under a riverway. Did the Engineers say then, "No! It will be flooded if we do that." Also, we have Standard Chartered Building sitting right on top of the Raffles MRT track when tunneling work was carried out, non-stop, right under that building. Did the Engineers say then : "No! It can't be done. The Standard Chartered Building will collapse if we bore under it."
Real Engineers always challenge themselves : nothing is impossible; in fact, impossible is nothing. Our Cabinet should say "sorry" to our hardworking engineers; for the slight. |
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Floods – are we prepared? Posted by theonlinecitizen on June 26, 2010
According to both 1st Premier Lou Lee and his son, current Premier Lee.
Both is trying to sell the idea as
no amount of engineering can prevent flooding, instead of saying.
He should say Engineer should set themself. Engineers always challenge themselves : nothing is impossible "Yue Luo Yue Hu Too" (more rekon liao - Like father, like son)
http://74.6.146.127/search/cache?ei=UTF-8&p=500mm+rain+fall+happening+in+singapore&rd=r1&fr=yfp-t-712&u=theonlinecitizen.com/2010/06/floods-are-we-prepared/&w=500mm+%22500+mm%22+%22rain+fall%22+rainfall+happening+happened+happens+singapore&d=KAULtrZfVKWh&icp=1&.intl=sg&sig=cSUw7fc2iCKNaUkDUGdSTw
Case Study 1:
On 2 December 1978, a total of 512.4mm of rain fell, the highest ever recorded for the month of December on a single day, according to NEA, resulting in one of the worst floods in Singapore’s history. In fact, it is the highest single day rainfall for Singapore in NEA records. (NEA)
Case Study 2:
On 5 June 1984, a total of 121.1mm of rain fell, the highest ever recorded for the month of June on a single day, according to NEA. This was probably the one quoted by the PUB after describing the Orchard Road flood as the worst in the area since 1984. (NEA)
I can only say the Party members are lousy. I believe none come from Engineering background, most are likely from lawyer, doctor, or maybe marketing...
Sandbags are now hot property, in demand. Sandbags are temporary measure to reduce flooding. Many said they have to build perimeter walls around their properties, as permanent measure, to hold back future floods.
Visions of our future city changing fast from Singapore : "Global City" --> "Sandbag City" --> "Fortress City". Let's hope they come up with acchitecturally pleasing fortresses.
laulan's right.. can't sleep in basement carpark .. risky.. shouldn't basement parking lots go for discount to compensate risk to life and property?
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(File pic) Orchard Rd flood at Liat Towers
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SINGAPORE: Consider an emergency response plan for floods - that's a suggestion from one MP for the authorities in view of the recent spate of floods around Singapore.
A series of dialogue sessions are already planned for residents and the national water agency, PUB.
In response to queries from Channel NewsAsia, PUB said it will meet various MPs and grassroots leaders over the next few days.
They include Minister Lui Tuck Yew for the Cambridge Road area, MP Heng Chee How for the Jalan Bahagia area, MP Hri Kumar for Upper Thomson and MP Chan Soo Sen for Telok Kurau.
Concerned residents also want to know how to go about protecting themselves.
Battling floods is nothing new to Joo Chiat estate which is located on low lying ground.
But residents, including the area's MP said they've never seen flooding as bad as in this past month.
For example, one childcare centre was flooded twice over a month.
Channel NewsAsia was told PUB handed out sand bags on Thursday.
For now, the centre has about 50 of these bags stacked at its entrances.
PUB said 780 sandbags have been provided to affected residents across the island to protect their basement entrances and homes in the event of another flood.
Sandbags are just a temporary solution so the centre has engaged a professional engineer to look at more permanent fixtures and this may include constructing raised barriers and walls around the perimeter of the building.
Residents in the area will have a dialogue with the PUB on Sunday to address concerns over how to mitigate future floodings and protect their property.
There's also a call for more proactive measures.
MP for Joo Chiat, Chan Soo Sen said: "My residents would like the authorities to tell us a little bit more about what we can do. We accept that no amount of engineering can totally eliminate the threat.
“If we want to totally eliminate the threat it will be a very high cost option so from time to time this can happen. I think our residents here in Joo Chiat are rational people. They understand that but what they would like to know is what can we do? Do the authorities have some specific advice on what we can do to mitigate the damages?
"We do have emergency response systems in case of a civil defence emergency or terrorist emergency. We have been briefed, sometimes we have even been exercised, so is there something that can be done along this line in case there is going to be a flood?
“What should be a recall system? Who should call who? Where shall we go to? What should be our roles? What kind of report we should give the relevant authorities? What type of advise we should give the residents and how we can calm down the residents and perhaps help them save themselves as well as their properties.”
Some businesses affected by the floods have heeded the call to act.
Liat Towers at Orchard Road, severely hit by rising waters, have more than 200 sandbags around the building.
Its building services executive Chik Hai Lam said it bought 220 sandbags and the PUB added another 60 to the lot on Thursday.
Mr Chik said the bags have helped to "slow down" the water coming in.
It also engaged a professional engineer to propose permanent solutions like flood barriers already installed at the Wisma Atria mall.
Mr Chik added: "Our sand bags will be here as long as the barriers are not up, beyond that. There will be the mountable, likely, glass panels which we can slot in or slide in to be implemented along the front."
Such permanent structures cost about S$500,000 and need to be imported. So it may take about half a year before it can be installed.
Meanwhile, Liat Towers said it wants to set up raised kerbs or walls, at least two feet high to prevent waters from drowning its basement shops.
It's hoping to get the green light from authorities to have the kerbs installed by the end of next week.
Mr Chik continued: "We will be keeping it in line along our building boundary, right on the front exposed area here."
The building's management also plans to install additional pumps to drain out excess water.
At least three shops in the area have been closed for the past month due damage from the floods.
Separately, the PUB said 90 of its staff are on high alert round the clock.
360 contractors, 15 tankers and 20 pumps are also on standby.
PUB has alerted buildings along Orchard Road such as Liat Towers, Lucky Plaza, Tong Building, Delfi Orchard and residences such as Tessarina and Corona Ville on the forecasted weather this weekend.
PUB has met six condominium management, seven commercial buildings and more than 80 affected residents to explain the flood situation and provide advice on what they can do to protect their premises.
Some of them are Tessarina Condominium, Corona Ville, Cluny Court and affected premises/households at Orchard Road, Cambridge Road, Jalan Taman, Telok Kurau, Rienzi Street, Ernani Road, Fidelio Road and Tosca Terrace.
New localised drainage improvement works will be fast tracked in areas such as Cambridge/Dorset, Tembiling Road / Duku Road and Sin Ming Road to Marymount Road.
But there's some reprieve for now - the weather man said Typhoon "Chanthu" has dissipated after making landfall over southern China and is unlikely to have a major impact on Singapore this weekend.
But NEA's Meteorological Services Division said to still expect "short-duration showers with thunder over many areas in the morning and early afternoon.
The public is advised to obtain the latest weather reports, including heavy rain warnings, by tuning in to radio broadcasts, calling NEA's weather forecast hotline at 65427788, following @NEAsg on Twitter, accessing the mobile weather service, available free at Weather@SG or visit the NEA website
The public can also visit the PUB website
for the safety advisory for floods. - CNA/vm
