• New partnerships to promote community flood resilience and preparedness
• F.L.A.S.H mnemonic to help public remember the actions to take
20 November 2024 – National water agency PUB has launched its inaugural flood resilience campaign, ‘Get Flood-Wise in a F.L.A.S.H’, to encourage the public to be flood ready, amidst increasingly erratic weather and more intense storms triggered by climate change. Singapore is vulnerable to flood risks due to our topography and rapid urbanisation. Sudden and intense heavy storms, even during non-monsoon periods, can temporarily overwhelm our canals and drains and cause localised flooding.
2 Through the campaign film and a series of visuals, the public – from motorists to business owners – can learn to be prepared and protect themselves from floods, in the event of extreme weather. The campaign utilises the white beard, often a symbol of wisdom, as a creative device that appears when someone is “flood-wise” by following the simple F.L.A.S.H tips:
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Follow PUB Flood Alerts
- Learn how to be flood ready
- Avoid flooded areas
- Share PUB flood updates
- Help others where possible
F.L.A.S.H mnemonic to aid public recall of flood tips
3 “We are witnessing more extreme weather events around the world, which serve as a stark reminder of the climate change reality. Even as PUB continues to invest in enhancing our drainage infrastructure to strengthen Singapore’s flood resilience, we would also need to foster community resilience and preparedness. We need businesses and the wider community to play their part in being flood-ready,” said Mr Maurice Neo, Director of PUB’s Catchment and Waterways department.
New partnerships to promote flood tips
4 PUB is collaborating with various partners such as ride hailing company CDG Zig and superapp Grab as well as vehicle management platform Motorist to share flood safety tips with their drivers and users.
‘Flood-Wise Drive’ car decals distributed by Esso, BlueSG and Lumens
5 In addition, all drivers can collect a PUB ‘Flood-Wise Drive’ car decal, which contains useful flood tips, from 2 December at any Esso station. Car-sharing companies BlueSG and Lumens will also put up the decals on their vehicles. From 2 to 22 December 2024, drivers spotted at Esso stations with the decal on their vehicles can stand a chance to win grocery vouchers worth $100 each.
6 To expand the reach of its flood alerts, PUB is also working Grab to push out flood alerts to their drivers and food delivery riders via the Grab mobile application. These alerts will be rolled out by 2025.
7 Members of the public are encouraged to stay updated on flood risks and occurrences of flash floods through PUB’s Telegram channel (t.me/pubfloodalerts) and the myENV mobile application. For further guidelines on how to stay safe and prepared for heavy rain and flash floods, visit go.gov.sg/be-flood-ready.
Building community preparedness from the ground up
Community Table-Top Exercise on Climate Threats on 5 November 2024
8 Community involvement is vital in Singapore’s collective effort to address flood risks and respond effectively in the event of extreme weather. PUB recently conducted an inaugural Community Table-Top Exercise (TTX) on Climate Threats on 5 November, co-organised with NGO Women in Sustainability and Environment (WISE), in support of 40 years of Total Defence. The exercise brought together business leaders, grassroots leaders, residents and youths to discuss community preparedness in the face of an extreme flooding scenario.
9 In the lead-up to the year-end Northeast Monsoon season, which is typically the wettest period of the year, PUB steps up checks around the island, particularly drainage systems at critical installations and higher-flood risk locations, to ensure that public drains around the sites are unobstructed and can convey stormwater effectively. PUB also engages residents in low-lying areas to provide them with flood protection devices such as flood barriers and inflatable flood bags, which can be deployed quickly during heavy rain to keep out floodwaters.
10 In accordance with the recent amendments to PUB’s Sewerage and Drainage Act, building owners must ensure proper maintenance of internal drainage systems and implement flood protection measures according to stipulated guidelines to better protect their properties1 . Real estate group CapitaLand and Esplanade are examples of how businesses can play their part by implementing automatic or manual flood barriers at their properties to prevent flooding during heavy rain.
11 Mr Adon Sim, Head of Operations, Engineering, Systems & Sustainability (Retail & Workspace), CapitaLand Investment, said, “At CapitaLand, we are committed to playing our part in strengthening community resilience. This includes implementing advanced flood barriers that safeguard not only our property but, more importantly, our tenants, shoppers and staff. Our flood gate systems at CapitaSpring and Funan provide a secured area for assembly and evacuation, reducing risk to lives and minimising property damage. Together, we are investing in a safer, more resilient future for our communities.”
Flood gate at Esplanade
12 Mr Ravi Sivalingam, Assistant Chief Executive Officer (Operations), The Esplanade Co Ltd, said, “The flood gate at Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, is installed at the entrance of our tunnel and links to Esplanade MRT station. The flood gate was put in place to protect Singapore’s transport infrastructure from the risk of floods since our opening in 2002. We work with PUB annually to inspect the flood gate and review our response plan and standard operating procedures to ensure that we are prepared for the unlikely event of an extreme flood.”
13 Transport operators such as SMRT conduct annual flood preparedness exercises across all their MRT lines to ensure staff are well-equipped to respond to flood scenarios and keep Singapore’s trains moving. This includes ensuring the timely arrival of their flood response teams at the affected station, the installation of flood barriers at station entrances, as well as crowd management and diversion.
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Footnotes
[1] Property owners and/or managing agents of premises are required to keep their stormwater drainage systems and flood protection barriers (e.g. flood barriers) in proper order, thereby ensuring their premises remain flood resilient. Refer to PUB’s website for more information: https://www.pub.gov.sg/Resources/News-Room/PressReleases/2024/11/Amendments-to-Sewerage-and-Drainage-Act
Please refer to Annex A: Continued investments in Singapore’s drainage infrastructure
