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  Today Online 22 Dec 06
Why no warning on floods?
Meteorological services seem unable to anticipate rains
Plan for floods the way we plan for terror attacks

Letter from Henry Lim Li Shun
Letter from Khoo Lih-Han

THE continuous heavy rain over 24 hours on Tuesday saw floodwaters rising up to waist-level in some parts of Singapore--a sight not seen since the 1970s, as far as I can remember.

The worst part is the extensive damage to property, as well as the disruption to traffic flow and business. This highlights the important issue of whether our national alert system for natural events or disasters is effective.

Our weathermen do not seem proactive in predicting unusual weather and forewarning the public. They seem to function like a road information system that only warns us of an accident when we are already stuck in the traffic jam on the road approaching the accident site. In most cases, there is no possibility for a U-turn.

The information issued does not help prepare the public. I am not blaming the weatherman for the weather; nor do I expect them to be God, always accurate with all their predictions.

But I think that in a country as advanced as Singapore, we ought to have the equipment or satellites to assist in predicting patterns of rain or to forewarn us of unusual storms.

The authorities also need to look at known flood zones and improve on the poor drainage systems that contribute to flooding. Such poor readiness for a natural "disaster" puts us at a disadvantage--tourists may think twice about coming to Singapore.

IN THE last few years, Singapore has been preparing itself against a terrorist attack by staging mock-up exercises in our neighbourhoods. It is good to see such efforts taking place.

But the recent floods and mudslides, caused by the heavy downpour, have left me wondering if we have neglected other issues--such as what measures are in place should we be faced with a continuous heavy downpour, coupled with an especially high tide.

It appears that the drainage systems in some areas cannot handle abnormally large volumes of water. If this is the case, there should be contingency plans to cope with floods when they occur.

Floods may seem a smaller-scale threat than terrorism, but they can also be life-threatening. And what seems a small problem may snowball into a big crisis.

So, hopefully, recent events will be a learning experience and next time around, the situation can be brought under control sooner.
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