SINGAPORE – An enhanced smart system to forecast rainfall here with greater accuracy will be completed by the first quarter of 2022, boosting the Republic’s suite of tools to respond more quickly to flash floods.
Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu said in Parliament on Tuesday (Sept 14) that enhancements to the rainfall monitoring and prediction system will help national water agency PUB better aid premise owners in setting up flood barriers, among other things.
When the system was first announced in January 2020, it had three rainfall monitoring radars installed in the eastern, northern and western parts of Singapore.
Typically used in localised weather monitoring and air traffic control, the radars collect data which is then fed into a system every two minutes to forecast the movement, growth and decay of rainclouds.
The current system is able to predict rainfall intensity 30 minutes in advance with an accuracy of 65 per cent. The enhancements will help to further improve the accuracy and increase radar coverage islandwide.
Other monitoring tools include PUB’s network of water level sensors and closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras at flood-prone areas.
Ms Fu said information on floods and road closures is conveyed to motorists and the public through social media platforms and via the Land Transport Authority’s Expressway Monitoring Advisory System.
“These measures will also help build preparedness to extreme weather events and strengthen community resilience, as we check weather advisories and warnings and adjust our daily schedules accordingly,” she added.
Her comments come in the wake of a number of flooding events experienced in Singapore over the past month after heavier-than-usual rainfall brought about by multiple weather systems.
On Aug 24, for instance, more than an entire month’s of rainfall fell in western Singapore within three to four hours, Ms Fu said.
She added: “Given climate change, we must prepare for more extreme weather scenarios as we are likely to see more flash floods from intense rain.”
Ms Fu said PUB has invested almost $2 billion on drainage works in the last decade, and reduced Singapore’s flood prone areas from 3,200 hectares in the 1970s to 28ha today.
Another $1.4 billion will be invested over the next five years on drainage improvement works.
But she said it will not be practical to expand all of Singapore’s 8,000 plus kilometres of drains and flood protection infrastructure to accommodate every extreme rainfall event, as this would require massive land take and much higher costs.
Ms Fu said building owners must also take action and ensure that flood prevention measures in their developments remain effective.
Contractors too must also implement proper flood prevention measures at their worksites.
Citing the flood at the junction of Tampines Avenue 10 and Pasir Ris Drive 12 on Aug 20, Ms Fu said PUB’s investigations showed that the contractor carrying out road widening works along Tampines Avenue 10 had altered the public drainage system.
This was done without approval.
PUB said over the weekend that it will be taking action against construction firm Samwoh for unauthorised drainage works under the Sewerage and Drainage Act.
Addressing the House, Ms Fu said: “PUB takes a serious view of all works that affect our public drainage system.
“We have reminded all contractors to comply with the requirements and will take enforcement action against errant contractors.”
