by Leong Wee Keat 05:55 AM Jul 20, 2010After blaming a blocked culvert along Stamford Canal for the flood at Orchard Road on June 16, national water agency PUB now says, after completing investigations, that the debris only "worsened" the flood but did not cause it.
Two bursts of rain 30 minutes apart had poured the equivalent of 1.5 Olympic-sized swimming pools of rainfall each minute into the middle section of the canal, between Delfi Orchard and Handy Road, which could only carry 1-1/3 Olympic-sized swimming pools each minute.
On Saturday, the canal overflowed again and "an urgent review" is underway.
But Member of Parliament Irene Ng (Tampines GRC) wondered if rapid urban development had reduced the island's ability to handle run-off from strong rainfall.
Environment and Water Resources Minister Yaacob Ibrahim said PUB would have to check that there is adequate drainage before any development can be approved: "We've not come across any incident that, because of an existing development, flooding is a result of that."
When Non-Constituency MP Sylvia Lim asked about the Marina Barrage's role in alleviating floods, Dr Yaacob said it had operated effectively to avert further flooding in downtown areas such as Chinatown during the three recent floods.
"In the case of Orchard Road, the canals are way upstream, and we may not have enough capacity to drain all the water as quickly as possible ... This has to be studied as a system and not just as a barrage, together with all the drains," he said.
Saying the authorities cannot "conclusively link these events to climate change", he told the House the Government will continue to study this "complex and evolving subject".
For now, a National Environment Agency study projects that by 2100, the average daily temperature could increase by between 2.7°C to 4.2°C; the mean sea level around Singapore could rise by 24 to 65 centimetres.
Ok, ok... we all know that the rain cause the flood, not debris, no PUB....
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