It’s 2021 and our vehicles should be in the skies by now, but they’re instead wading through water on the ground.
The clouds have been unleashing heavy rains on several days in the last two weeks, causing flash floods and making it physically impossible to wake up in the morning.
As we’ve seen in the countries, flash floods can pose a real danger to humans, whether they’re on the roads in their cars, on the streets, or even in their homes.
This is why the authorities are taking action, with their eye on one particular road.
PUB Will Raise 450m Section of Dunearn Road to Reduce Risk of Flash Floods
With flash floods occurring there three times this year alone, Dunearn Road has become an area of concern for the authorities.
This is why PUB will be raising a 450m stretch of Dunearn Road which seems to be particularly susceptible.
“The location is a known flooding hotspot,” PUB said in a Facebook post.
PUB added that this will just be a temporary measure to reduce the risk of flash floods while draining expansion works in the Bukit Timah area are ongoing.
The expansion, which will widen and deepen a 900m section of the Bukit Timah Canal, is expected to be completed by early 2024.
Constructions works for the raising of Dunearn Road should be finished by November this year.
Flooding Made Roads “Impassable”
On 24 Aug, when we had flash floods for the second time this month, PUB warned on Facebook that flooding had occurred on Dunearn Road, in a stretch between Sime Darby Centre and Binjai Park.
These made the roads impassable, and residents were advised to avoid the area. PUB officers were also deployed to render assistance.
Believe it or not, the rainfall recorded in three hours that day was more than the average rainfall for the whole month of August.
What’s more, this month is already the third wettest August since 1991, according to the Meteorological Service Singapore.
Can’t Keep Expanding Drains to Combat Excessive Rainfall
In an ideal world, we’d simply keep expanding our draining systems every time we experience extreme rainfall.
But as PUB noted, Singapore can’t do this due to land scarcity.
Instead, PUB utilises a comprehensive flood management strategy, which includes the monitoring of road conditions and water levels in drains and canals, through an extensive network of water level sensors and CCTV cameras.
“We also leverage radar technology to forecast potential flash flood locations, so as to quickly deploy our Quick Response Teams across the island,” it said.
The team helps to protect the public by directing traffic away from floodwaters and assisting stranded pedestrians or motorists.
Heavier rains are expected to continue until October this year due to a weather phenomenon, which you can read more about here.
Read Also:
- Heavier Rain Expected in the Next Two Months Due to a Weather Phenomenon
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Featured Image: Facebook (PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency)