MP for East Coast GRC,

PUB Board Members,

Dear Friends and Residents,

I am very happy to join you this morning at Opera Estate to mark the completion of the flood alleviation project here by the Public Utilities Board.

Singapore has a long flood history. Being close to the equator, we are subject to periodic heavy rain, especially during the North-East monsoon season. Floods of more than one metre deep and lasting several hours were common during the 60’s and 70’s. Some of us might still remember the severe floods of 1969 and 1978 when many flood victims had to be evacuated from their homes.

The drainage department of ENV, now part of the PUB, had implemented several major drainage improvement projects to alleviate flooding. Over the last 20 years, we have spent $1.43 billion on drainage projects.

Our investment in drainage infrastructure has paid off. Despite rapid urbanisation and land development, the flood situation in Singapore has continued to improve. We now have a comprehensive network of drains and canals across the island to channel away storm water to the reservoirs and sea effectively. We have reduced flood-prone areas by about 93%, from 3,200 hectares in the 70’s to about 200 hectares today. The floods nowadays are also much less severe, and are of short duration.

We recognise that it is not realistic to expect Singapore to be completely flood free one day. Some areas in Singapore are low-lying and are barely above the high tide level. They can be found at Chinatown and Serangoon Road. These areas are prone to flooding when heavy rain coincides with high tide. To be effective, we will have to raise the ground levels of the premises at these areas. This can best be done during re-development.

For areas that are not flood-prone, there is also a limit to which we can widen the drains because of land and resource constraints. Very intense rainfall that may occur once every 10 to 20 years could still overwhelm the capacity of the drains and cause flash floods that are minor and of a short duration. We will have to take whatever measures possible to minimise their impact.

Notwithstanding these constraints, ENV and PUB will continue to reduce flood-prone areas where it is viable and cost effective to do so. Two major projects are being undertaken by PUB. These are: the Alexandra Canal improvement project to reduce flooding at Alexandra Road, Jervois Road and Margaret Drive; and the Joo Chiat drainage improvement work to reduce flooding in the Changi Road/ Langsat Road area. By the time these projects are completed by Year 2007, we expect to reduce flood prone areas from 200 hectares today to 110 hectares.

We are also stepping up our efforts to rehabilitate old drains. There are 7,000 km of roadside drains in Singapore. Some of them are beyond normal repair, and PUB has a rolling 5-year programme to rehabilitate these drains. For the current 5-year plan, 45 km of drains are being rehabilitated at a cost of $45 million.

In addition, PUB has just embarked on an extensive programme in the various residential estates to support the Estate Upgrading Programme (EUP). For the 5 private estates in batch 1 of the EUP, PUB will improve 65 km of public drains at a total cost of $58 million. Work started in June last year. It will be completed by December next year. For the 8 private estates in batch 2 of the EUP, PUB will upgrade 81 km of public drains at a total cost of $71 m. PUB expects to spend more on the upgrading of old drains as more estates undergo upgrading.

Dear residents, the good drainage we enjoy in Singapore today is a result of careful planning and heavy investment over the years. Many people have worked very hard over many years to make sure that we do not allow flooding to disrupt our lives and cause hardship to our people. Our network of drains, canals and rivers is now one of our important infrastructure and asset. We must continue to upkeep our drainage system. We need the support and co-operation of the public. Many of our drains today, including drains in the housing estates, carry water into the reservoirs. We must re-double our efforts to guard against littering.

I commend my colleagues in ENV and PUB' s Drainage Department for their hard work and good efforts all these years. I also congratulate our residents here on the successful completion of the Opera Estate Drainage Scheme.

Thank you all for your support and co-operation.