SINGAPORE: A study commissioned by the National
Environment Agency (NEA) has confirmed that there is a low
probability of Singapore being affected by a tsunami.
The two-year, S$1.3 million study was jointly conducted by the
National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological
University (NTU).
Director-General of Meteorological Services at NEA, Foong Chee
Leong, said the study showed that even major underwater earthquakes
in nearby regions will have minimal impact on Singapore.
"Even under the worst case scenario of a great earthquake of
magnitude 9 happening in the Manila Trench, because of the shallow
water, by the time the waves arrives (in) Singapore, the energy
will have dissipated, and also because of the distance and the
slowdown by the wave, it takes more than ten hours for the first
wave to reach Singapore," said Mr Foong.
The study also examined the impact of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami
and found that the maximum wave height at Singapore was less than
0.3 metre, and it took 15 hours to arrive from Aceh.
Singapore usually experiences a tidal height of 1.5 metres at high
tide.
When asked about the safety of people who may be in the water when
the first wave hits, Dean of the College of Engineering at NTU,
Professor Pan Tso-Chien said there was little danger.
"If you look at past records, as the wave comes in, those who are
on the water actually feel like it's a bumpy ride, that's all there
is. It's those who are on the shore when the waves suddenly surge –
that is where the problem is," said Prof Pan.
As buildings and housing estates here are built at a distance away
from the shoreline, Prof Pan added that there was little risk even
for those living near the beaches.
He said: "There isn't any perceivable risk from what I could see,
with a water height of 0.4m, plus, minus. It comes on shore over
beaches of 10, 20, 30m. And our people and buildings are typically
far away from the beachline."
Should any of the beach areas near Singapore be at risk of a
tsunami, the NEA has developed a response plan to activate and
coordinate key agencies' responses. Alerts will be issued to the
public and beach areas will be evacuated.
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