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Time is GMT + 8 hours
Posted: 21 April 2006 1844 hrs
Heavy downpour, road depression caused Bedok flash floods:
PUB
By Asha Popatlal, Channel NewsAsia
SINGAPORE : An unusually heavy downpour was the main reason for
recent flash floods in the Bedok and Eunos areas.
The Public Utilities Board says it has added more drainage areas to
solve the immediate problem.
Just a week ago, heavy rains caused flooding in eastern parts of
the island like Bedok, creating problems for some residents.
With elections around the corner, the Workers' Party has said it
wants to look into this issue.
The PUB explained that a combination of the road conditions there
and an unusually heavy downpour caused the flash floods.
PUB engineers say a depression in the road caused a "bowl
effect".
This means that when there is intense rainfall, water tends to
gather and cannot drain away quickly enough, causing flash
floods.
Said Yap Kheng Guan, director of drainage, PUB, "On that particular
day, Bedok received 110mm over one and a half hours -- compare that
to Toa Payoh and Jurong at 50 mm, and other parts at 30 to 50
mm."
Their solution is to double the number of drainage holes at a cost
of S$20,000.
One stretch of Bedok North Avenue 3 now has drainage holes about
one and a half metres apart, compared to an average spacing of 6
metres for many other roads.
PUB says increasing the number of drainage holes is one usual way
of alleviating the situation at flash flood-prone areas.
The long-term plan is to put in box drains, which have double the
draining capacity.
These drainage improvement works will be carried out in tandem with
a two-year road interchange project in the area.
Meanwhile, PUB is appealing to members of the public to alert them
about other problem areas, which could be prone to flooding. - CNA
/ct
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This is the official explanation from the PUB.
However, why this never happened during the December Monsoon
Season?
