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Dr Vivian: The flood problem is difficult to solve and I cannot guarantee outcomes
http://www.temasekreview.com/2011/0...ult-to-solve-and-i-cannot-guarantee-outcomes/
In a rather candid post on his blog about the latest spate of flooding to hit Singapore yesterday morning, the new Minister of Environment and Water Resources Dr Vivian Balakrishnan who was only two weeks into his job wrote in tacit admission that he is not familiar with his work:
“After touring some affected buildings (the worst affected was Tanglin Mall), I met the press to share my preliminary thoughts on the issue of flooding. Preliminary because I have only been two weeks on the job, and I am not an engineer.”
Despite a series of flood-preventive measures put up by PUB last year, Orchard was submerged in floodwater again as Tanglin became the hardest area hit this time.
The immediate ‘preliminary’ thought which came to Dr Vivian’s mind is that the frequent flooding is caused by greater rainfall resulting from global warming:
“With global warming, and high evaporation, we should also expect greater rainfall, especially in the tropics. If so, then we should be psychologically and practically prepared for even more intense storms in the future.”
Dr Vivian promised to take urgent action to ensure the safety of the public and to work with other state agencies to protect buildings and to keep the roads passable in the event of heavy rain.
However Dr Vivian was quick to manage expectations and sounded defeatist when he wrote that he cannot ‘guarantee’ outcomes:
“A resident posted on the Holland Bukit Timah facebook wall that “It is nothing too difficult to solve”. I’m afraid it is actually quite difficult to solve. Therefore I cannot guarantee outcomes.”
As one TR reader put it succinctly:
“The government transferred Yaacob Ibrahim (a Civil Engineer) from the Environment ministry to Arts and Communication and have an eye doctor in charge of the Environment ? If Yaacob Ibrahim, a civil engineer couldnt fix the flood problem, how is V Balakrishnan, an eye doctor expected to do it ?”
Singaporeans better pray hard that the ‘once in fifty year’ floods will not be turned into a ‘once in fifty day’ event soon under the continued management of the inept PUB and an equally clueless Minister.
http://www.temasekreview.com/2011/0...ult-to-solve-and-i-cannot-guarantee-outcomes/
In a rather candid post on his blog about the latest spate of flooding to hit Singapore yesterday morning, the new Minister of Environment and Water Resources Dr Vivian Balakrishnan who was only two weeks into his job wrote in tacit admission that he is not familiar with his work:
“After touring some affected buildings (the worst affected was Tanglin Mall), I met the press to share my preliminary thoughts on the issue of flooding. Preliminary because I have only been two weeks on the job, and I am not an engineer.”
Despite a series of flood-preventive measures put up by PUB last year, Orchard was submerged in floodwater again as Tanglin became the hardest area hit this time.
The immediate ‘preliminary’ thought which came to Dr Vivian’s mind is that the frequent flooding is caused by greater rainfall resulting from global warming:
“With global warming, and high evaporation, we should also expect greater rainfall, especially in the tropics. If so, then we should be psychologically and practically prepared for even more intense storms in the future.”
Dr Vivian promised to take urgent action to ensure the safety of the public and to work with other state agencies to protect buildings and to keep the roads passable in the event of heavy rain.
However Dr Vivian was quick to manage expectations and sounded defeatist when he wrote that he cannot ‘guarantee’ outcomes:
“A resident posted on the Holland Bukit Timah facebook wall that “It is nothing too difficult to solve”. I’m afraid it is actually quite difficult to solve. Therefore I cannot guarantee outcomes.”
As one TR reader put it succinctly:
“The government transferred Yaacob Ibrahim (a Civil Engineer) from the Environment ministry to Arts and Communication and have an eye doctor in charge of the Environment ? If Yaacob Ibrahim, a civil engineer couldnt fix the flood problem, how is V Balakrishnan, an eye doctor expected to do it ?”
Singaporeans better pray hard that the ‘once in fifty year’ floods will not be turned into a ‘once in fifty day’ event soon under the continued management of the inept PUB and an equally clueless Minister.
