Orchard Road floods not caused by Marina Barrage: panel
The flash floods along Orchard Road in June last year were not caused by the construction of the Marina Barrage, says a panel of experts.
Its chairperson, Chan Eng Soon, dean of engineering at the National University of Singapore, said that the panel had used a computer program to re-create the storm conditions on the morning of 16 June 2010, but removed the barrage from the scene.
It found, however, that the floods would still have occurred even if the barrage, which creates Singapore’s fifteenth reservoir near the heart of the city, was not there.
The barrage was originally built in 2008 to help reduce the incidence of flash floods in low-lying parts of Singapore. Oddly enough, most of the country’s major floods occurred after its construction. Many then blamed it for slowing down the flow of rainwater into the open sea.
The panel, made up of 12 Singapore and foreign experts, was convened by the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources to examine the possible causes of last year’s floods, as well as to make recommendations for improvements that will make Singapore less vulnerable to such incidents.
In its recommendations, the panel said that the government could study weather patterns more closely in order to collect better information about rain.
The data collected would help ensure canals would be designed to handle larger volumes of rainwater in the event of freak storms, reported local media.
The panel also made the following recommendations:
Add ponds and vegetation at canals that will slow the flow and retain more rainwater
Build porous roads that will help soak water up and cope with the changing rainfall patterns
Find innovative ways to make use of rainwater, for instance, by sending it through separate pipes to flush toilets or water plants
Enhance Singapore’s existing drainage infrastructure to allow rainwater in a particular area to drain out through a network of multiple canals instead of just one
In its analysis of the storm that occurred on the morning of 16 June last year, which had come in two short but intense bursts, the panel concluded that the current system and network of drains and canals are insufficient for the increased rainfall Singapore faces.
“Conventional design approach and standards are not sufficient to secure an adequate drainage system for the future, especially given global climate changes,” said Chan.
“PUB (the Public Utilities Board) needs to consider a wider range of measures that mitigates the effects of urbanization. I think it could look at solutions in a more holistic way.”
Chan added that Singapore ultimately needs to move to a better, “new-generation” drainage model that is equipped with enhanced systems performance monitoring and better capabilities to map out areas prone to flooding.
Water agencies can therefore be given more accurate information that will allow for earlier warnings of impending floods to the public.
The expert panel met last week and will come together again in January next year to finalise a report of its findings and recommendations to the ministry.
In the meantime, executive director of the Orchard Road Business Association Steven Goh hopes the panel will consult building owners and businesses along the shopping district before it submits its report.
“We are the people on the ground, so we will be able to contribute valuable information,” he said.
