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Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew says little could have been done to avoid flooding after the recent bouts of “extraordinary rainfall”.
That is the view offered by MM Lee, as he stepped forward to offer his take on the recent flash floods to hit Singapore.
“When we get extraordinary rainfall like we had recently, no amount of engineering can prevent flooding,” he told The Straits Times.
He did not believe the government neglected the country’s drainage system to focus on the economy, as “all the issues have to be well taken care of,” he added.
However, he did stress that no matter how hard the government tries, their efforts would still seem insufficient as the “extraordinary rainfall” made flood prevention near impossible.
“There is a limited amount of space that you can dig underground, limited amount of space that you can have run-off for canals,” he said.
Despite the efforts by the government to reduce flood-prone areas from 3,178ha in the 1970s to 66ha today, Mr Lee noted that Singaporeans would always expect more.
“Of course, Singaporeans expect everything to be perfect – which we try to do, but there are some things which are beyond (that),” he said.
Over at Bukit Timah, there is apparently space for canal upgrading, which will take two years to complete.
MP for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC Mr Chris de Souza told The Straits Times: “The canal, which is currently V-shaped, will be converted to a broad U-shape, which will have incredible capacity to absorb a lot more water.”
In the meantime, Mr de Souza has recommended that condominiums around the area, most notably Tessarina in Wilby Road which was first hit by floods last November, to take their own measures such as a crest protection to be installed.
Talks to raise the level of Wilby Road will also be discussed between Mr de Souza and the Land Transport Authority next week.
Tessarina resident Tony Mok, 43, the head of training in a multinational company, said of the two year canal upgrading process: “We have to be practical, it takes time. The only thing is that it should have been done five years ago.”
That is the view offered by MM Lee, as he stepped forward to offer his take on the recent flash floods to hit Singapore.
“When we get extraordinary rainfall like we had recently, no amount of engineering can prevent flooding,” he told The Straits Times.
He did not believe the government neglected the country’s drainage system to focus on the economy, as “all the issues have to be well taken care of,” he added.
However, he did stress that no matter how hard the government tries, their efforts would still seem insufficient as the “extraordinary rainfall” made flood prevention near impossible.
“There is a limited amount of space that you can dig underground, limited amount of space that you can have run-off for canals,” he said.
Despite the efforts by the government to reduce flood-prone areas from 3,178ha in the 1970s to 66ha today, Mr Lee noted that Singaporeans would always expect more.
“Of course, Singaporeans expect everything to be perfect – which we try to do, but there are some things which are beyond (that),” he said.
Over at Bukit Timah, there is apparently space for canal upgrading, which will take two years to complete.
MP for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC Mr Chris de Souza told The Straits Times: “The canal, which is currently V-shaped, will be converted to a broad U-shape, which will have incredible capacity to absorb a lot more water.”
In the meantime, Mr de Souza has recommended that condominiums around the area, most notably Tessarina in Wilby Road which was first hit by floods last November, to take their own measures such as a crest protection to be installed.
Talks to raise the level of Wilby Road will also be discussed between Mr de Souza and the Land Transport Authority next week.
Tessarina resident Tony Mok, 43, the head of training in a multinational company, said of the two year canal upgrading process: “We have to be practical, it takes time. The only thing is that it should have been done five years ago.”
