The year 2021 had a cold and chilly start.
The first day of the year saw temperature here fall to about 21°C with 5 flood warnings sent out.
The second day saw the forecast of record-breaking rainfall.
Flash floods, while merely inconvenient to some, brings massive troubles to people whose properties are in low-lying areas.
Just ask the residents at Lowland Road and Jalan Lokam at Hougang.
Well, turns out, PUB isn’t contented to leave them to their own devices, and have started testing something new.
PUB Purchased ‘Gates’ That Can Prevent Flooding inside Buildings
According to a statement on 30 Dec 2020, PUB says that it has purchased 20 Floodgate barriers from Britain.
Each gate costs between S$800 and S$2,200.
Made of high strength steel frames wrapped in a waterproof rubber sleeve, the gates can be installed at doorways to seal off the entrance, preventing floodwater from entering the building.
Depending on its size, it weighs between 13kg and 21kg and can block floodwaters as high as 68cm.
For wider entryways, the floodgate can be linked with other barriers.
Currently, 15 of them are on loan to residents at Upper Paya Lebar Road to test the effectiveness of the barriers.
Needless to say, if yesterday’s the standard for the next fortnight, there’s never a better chance to test the floodgates out than now.
Other Flood Protection
The floodgates are but a part of the portable flood protection tools introduced by PUB in 2020.
There’s also the “Dam Easy Flood Panels (DFPs)”
As well as the “Portable Flood Barriers” (PFBs) to help protect homes and shops in low-lying areas.
Currently, there are 155 PFBs and 65 DFBs out on loan.
A Rainy Start To 2021
Temperatures fell below 22°C in some parts of Singapore on Friday morning (1 Jan), due to prolonged moderate to heavy rain, according to The Straits Times.
Residents of Bukit Timah, Admiralty, and Kovan might have thought they woke up in another country, with temperatures of 21.2°C, 21.4°C, and 21.9°C respectively.
Heavy rain in some parts of the island also prompted the authorities to issue flash flood warnings at five locations in the afternoon.
PUB first advised the public to avoid Jalan Seaview and Mountbatten Road, as water levels in drains and canals in these areas had reached 90%.
They then added Siang Kuang Avenue, Langsat Road / Lorong 105 Changi, and West Coast Road to this list of locations to avoid.
At 1:00 p.m. in Admiralty on 2 Jan, a freezing-cold temperature of 21.5°C was recorded.
This beats the initial forecast by the Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) on Thursday (31 December 2020), which estimated an average temperature of 23°C to 33°C over the first two weeks of January, with lows of 22°C on several days.
In addition, rain was plentiful, with it being especially significant in Pasir Ris and Changi.
This had led to speculations that the record for highest rainfall in a day might be broken.
According to the MSS, the cold, wet weather that we’ve been experiencing in December 2020 will extend to Jan 2021.
During the first week of the year, one can expect windy and cooler conditions with moderate to heavy showers over Singapore on two to three days due to the monsoon surge.
Cooler daily temperatures between 22 °C and 31 °C are also expected on a few days, with temperatures for other days forecast to range between 23 °C and 33 °C.
On one or two days, however, daily temperatures can still reach a maximum of 34 °C.
Overall, the rainfall for the first two weeks of Jan 2021 is expected to be above average over most parts of the island.
In other words, if you’re still not used to bringing an umbrella with you when you’re out, now might be a good chance to get used to it.
Featured Image: Christian Heinz / Shutterstock.com / Facebook (PUB)
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