PUB to improve its SMS flood alert system
The Public Utilities Board (PUB) has announced that it is improving its SMS alert system for flood risks.
The current SMS alert system is only available to building owners that are susceptible to floods. However, come July, members of the public will also be able to subscribe to the SMS alert system.
These measures come after building owners of Tanglin Mall and St Regis failed to receive any SMS alerts about the floods on Sunday morning.
According to the PUB, SMS alerts will only be sent when water sensors along drains and canals read a certain water level.
The SMS alerts are sent out when the water sensors detect water levels at the 75 per cent or 90 per cent mark. Water levels are also monitored every two minutes by the water sensors.
According to a Channel NewsAsia report, the system did not trigger an SMS alert on Sunday because the water levels rose so fast at Stamford Canal, near Tanglin Mall and St Regis, that it had hit 100 per cent when the water sensors detected the rising water.
PUB said that it has started to improve the alert system by sending the SMS alerts when water levels hit 100 per cent. They will also look into reducing the time intervals for water sensors to monitor water levels.
The water agency added that the SMS alert system is useful as once water levels hit the 50 per cent mark, it will receive the alerts. They will then deploy contractors and staff to those locations to check for blockages and to monitor the situation.
Another 53 water sensors will be added by the end of the year to the current 93 that are placed along Singapore's drains and canals. A trial run of monitoring water levels through CCTV cameras will also be conducted.
