When heavy rain falls in Singapore, most of us worry about getting wet or getting home without an umbrella.
At PUB’s Joint Operations Centre, the officers on duty go on high alert. Eyes fixed on the screens in front of them, they scan weather radars and CCTV footage of drains and canals, all while keeping a close watch on data from water level sensors and rain gauges.
Then, a notification pings on their computer screens: an area is at risk of experiencing a flash flood.
A call is made, and the Quick Response Team on standby in the area jumps into action, rushing to the scene within 20 minutes. Should a flash flood occur, the officers, armed with traffic cones, light batons, and flood barriers, swiftly divert traffic away from the floodwaters.
These heroes are Singapore’s very own flood fighters – the officers of PUB’s Catchment and Waterways Department.
Singapore’s History With Flood Resilience
So why the need for flood fighters in the first place?
Singapore is no stranger to floods. During the 1950s-80s, the island experienced frequent and widespread flooding. Some of these floods had water levels that reached 1m in height (as high as your waistline!), and some floods even lasted days.
Since then, Singapore has made significant strides in flood management.
According to PUB, flood-prone areas in Singapore have reduced from 3,200 hectares (ha) in the 1970s to less than 30 ha in 2023. This is due to decades of continued efforts and significant investments to expand Singapore’s drainage network and infrastructure to mitigate flood risk.
But we shouldn’t stop there. Mr Darren Lew, Senior Principal Engineer (Flood and Incident Response) at PUB, explains: “Enhancing our flood resilience is more important than ever today. Climate change intensifies extreme weather events that could temporarily overwhelm our drainage capacity and increase flood risk.”
He adds: “While flash floods today typically subside within an hour, our priority is still to ensure public safety by responding quickly to flooding incidents, as well as keeping people out of harm’s way.”