THE Public Utilities Board (PUB) has stepped up efforts to ensure clean and free-flowing drains in a bid to prevent flash floods during the upcoming north-east monsoon season.
PUB has began the inspection and cleansing of 90 and flood-prone areas such as Little India and Geylang to ensure drains and drainage outlets are not choked with fallen leaves or litter.
The water agency is also working with the Land Transport Authority (LTA) as part of a road drainage taskforce to ensure road tunnels and underpasses drainage systems are working well. PUB will also work with LTA to warn motorists if there is any flooding on the roads.
Inspection and cleansing of 90 hotspots island-wide, including known flood-prone areas in Little India and Geylang, have increased to ensure there are no chokes from fallen leaves or litter in the drains and drainage outlets. Checks on more than 170 worksites have also intensified to ensure that the drainage system is not blocked.
Twenty wireless water level sensors have been installed to monitor water levels in drains and canals in flood-prone areas. When the water in these drains and canals reach a certain level, alerts are sent to PUB officers who then check the sites and take action to inform residents in the areas.
These efforts supplement PUB's ongoing flood alleviation programme, under which recent completed projects have reduced Singapore's flood-prone areas from 135 hectares in 2006 to 98 hectares today, about 0.15% of Singapore's total land area.
Mr Tan Nguan Sen, PUB's Director of Catchment and Waterways, said, "Over the last 30 years, PUB has invested more than $2 billion in drainage improvement works, bringing down the number of flood-prone areas from 3,200 hectares in the 1970s to less than 100 hectares today."
"While widespread flooding is now a thing of the past, litter washed into the drains and drainage holes by the rain can cause blockages that impede the flow of water," explained Mr Tan. "We therefore urge members of the public to do their part by not littering and keeping the catchments and waterways clean."
Members of the public can call PUB's 24-hour contact centre, PUB-One at 1800-2846600, to report obstructions in drains.
