PUB! Look Here!!

[Kyrios]

I am currently in Hong Kong for business. After I got here shortly, it began raining cats and dogs continuously for like a day and a half (and still is). I was told this was because of Typhoon Fanapi, which if you have read the news, has caused a national disaster in Taiwan.

 

The part of Hong Kong which I lived in was quite an old town, with old drains choked with refuse and most of the time you can smell the whiffs of stench from the drains. Judging from my experience in Singapore, I tot to myself 'Ji Bai Xiao Liao..rains so heavy..drains so choked and the buildings and infrastructure look pre-historic. Sure flood like mad tomorrow when I wake up..what if cannot report for work how...'

 

Sure enough the typhoon rains smacked Hong Kong through the night with howling winds and deluge of rains as it makes its way to China. If you have been to HK you will see that much of HK is hilly and many Hong Kongers stay on the coast side of the island, thus they are most extremely susceptible to flooding than compared to living on mountainsides.

 

However the next morning I woke up to a pleasant surpise, despite the typhoon, the roads were water free and NO FLOODS! Despite a Cat3 typhoon cyclone!

 

I remember in Singapore just after 3 hrs of rains we get ponding easily..so what is it we miss out here? HK with old choked drains was able to survive a cyclone with little flooding and I see people get on with their lives as though noghting happened..perhaps PUB can study from our old friend and competitor the secret to their water control success??

 

Btw it is still raining heavily as I write this topic.

[Comnao]

maybe we got hit by a Cat 4 typhoon w/o even ourselves realizing it ?

[Pchmj]

Coastal areas will not flood, water can flow to the sea easily. If it floods, that means it's the end of the world, sea water level rise crazily, or there is a tsunami.

 

I see many blame marina barrage, laugh at it. Please, if water can reach the barrage fast enough, no flooding will occur.

 

The more built up the area is, the higher the surface runoff, there's no soil to adsorb water, so whatever rain that comes down will have to flow to drains. It's the drain that can't deal with the crazy high rainfall.

Edited September 21, 2010 by Pchmj

[Agentwilson]

PUB design drains with bigger width & deeper lo...

apparently their hydrology not v good

[Mini-itx]

HK has a secret.... It has a massive underground drainage system to prevent flooding. I saw it in Discovery quite sometime ago.

[Alechi]

I am currently in Hong Kong for business. After I got here shortly, it began raining cats and dogs continuously for like a day and a half (and still is). I was told this was because of Typhoon Fanapi, which if you have read the news, has caused a national disaster in Taiwan.

 

The part of Hong Kong which I lived in was quite an old town, with old drains choked with refuse and most of the time you can smell the whiffs of stench from the drains. Judging from my experience in Singapore, I tot to myself 'Ji Bai Xiao Liao..rains so heavy..drains so choked and the buildings and infrastructure look pre-historic. Sure flood like mad tomorrow when I wake up..what if cannot report for work how...'

 

Sure enough the typhoon rains smacked Hong Kong through the night with howling winds and deluge of rains as it makes its way to China. If you have been to HK you will see that much of HK is hilly and many Hong Kongers stay on the coast side of the island, thus they are most extremely susceptible to flooding than compared to living on mountainsides.

 

However the next morning I woke up to a pleasant surpise, despite the typhoon, the roads were water free and NO FLOODS! Despite a Cat3 typhoon cyclone!

 

I remember in Singapore just after 3 hrs of rains we get ponding easily..so what is it we miss out here? HK with old choked drains was able to survive a cyclone with little flooding and I see people get on with their lives as though noghting happened..perhaps PUB can study from our old friend and competitor the secret to their water control success??

 

Too much concrete underground in sgp prevents water surface runoff from achieving efficient drainage rate. In other words, too much concrete left, right, center and importantly, below ground.

Btw it is still raining heavily as I write this topic.

 

[Kyrios]

HK has a secret.... It has a massive underground drainage system to prevent flooding. I saw it in Discovery quite sometime ago.

 

Good .. then maybe the minsters can get down from their high horses and learn from our close friends and competitor..

 

btw..Hong Kong gals...sedap...keke...all majiam S.H.E standard..all wear boots with layers of clothing..chioz...thumbz up

[Zyrofillica]

Coastal areas will not flood, water can flow to the sea easily. If it floods, that means it's the end of the world, sea water level rise crazily, or there is a tsunami.

 

I see many blame marina barrage, laugh at it. Please, if water can reach the barrage fast enough, no flooding will occur.

 

The more built up the area is, the higher the surface runoff, there's no soil to adsorb water, so whatever rain that comes down will have to flow to drains. It's the drain that can't deal with the crazy high rainfall.

 

lol.

[Kyrios]

Coastal areas will not flood, water can flow to the sea easily. If it floods, that means it's the end of the world, sea water level rise crazily, or there is a tsunami.

 

I see many blame marina barrage, laugh at it. Please, if water can reach the barrage fast enough, no flooding will occur.

 

The more built up the area is, the higher the surface runoff, there's no soil to adsorb water, so whatever rain that comes down will have to flow to drains. It's the drain that can't deal with the crazy high rainfall.

 

Coastal areas more easy to flood right? Like chinatown which the gahmen say is close to sea level..thats why a lot of works done on chinatown area..

 

Btw HK is more built up than Singapore..no trees at all..their financial district...several times larger than ours..keke

[Kopites]

I stayed in HK for about 1 1/2 years back in the mid 90s era. You can see flood in some low lying ground like NT and some very old estates in Kowloon. But i got to admit not as bad as sillypore. The most only up to ankle height. They did have Mud slide which mostly in the NT. Cat 9 the best ! Everythings shut down and time to "da pien Low (steamboat) cum mahjong.

[Vulcann]

Coastal areas more easy to flood right? Like chinatown which the gahmen say is close to sea level..thats why a lot of works done on chinatown area..

 

Btw HK is more built up than Singapore..no trees at all..their financial district...several times larger than ours..keke

 

Flooding in local context occurs when a high tide coincides with a heavy rainfall in the past.

 

With the barrage in operation, theoretically only mostly flash floods will occur.

 

However there are still about 60 Ha as reported by PUB to be still prone to flooding no matter what.

 

Chinatown & other low areas (below MSL) used to flood because of the high tide/heavy rainfall situation.

 

Nowadays we will probably experience flash floods due to one bro (are you a civil engineer as well?) who correctly mentioned that due to a lot of built-up areas all over our CBD & even suburbs, surface runoffs which would have slowly seep through turfed areas in the past now would now get discharged directly onto the open drains or culverts which may be overwhelmed to result in the flash flooding e.g. Orchard River we experienced earlier.

 

Redesigning & overhauling of this civil infrastucture is both costly & time consuming. This I concur with the authorities. With such a highly-urbanised city, telling folks we need to dig deeper & wider storm drains near their buildings or landed properties with noise/air polllutions in the mean time will need a lot of convincing & justification.

Edited September 21, 2010 by Vulcann

[Pchmj]

Coastal areas more easy to flood right? Like chinatown which the gahmen say is close to sea level..thats why a lot of works done on chinatown area..

 

Btw HK is more built up than Singapore..no trees at all..their financial district...several times larger than ours..keke

 

Close to sea level means low lying, rain water cannot flow out the sea during high tide. Marina barrage is there to help, if water can flow fast enough there, it has the ability to pump out excess water during high tide.

 

We will never see areas next to rivers/sea to flood, like clarke quay, IR, sentosa, east coast park.

[Pchmj]

Are you referring to me? I'm a environmental engineer, study bit of civil, hydrology.

 

Somehow it occurs to me orchard flood is due to:

- too much built up areas in recent years

- drain choked with debris from the many constructions sites

- suay suay tio once in 50 years rain.

 

Probably the drain design (over 30 years ago?) does not account for the massive built up recently. Then with the choked drains and 1 in 50 years rain, it cause disaster.

 

Above just my opinion with my little knowledge.

[Vhtfhwlego]

Hai ya, we only get to experience once in 50 years.

So not need to do anything

[Vulcann]

Are you referring to me? I'm a environmental engineer, study bit of civil, hydrology.

 

Somehow it occurs to me orchard flood is due to:

- too much built up areas in recent years

- drain choked with debris from the many constructions sites

- suay suay tio once in 50 years rain.

 

Probably the drain design (over 30 years ago?) does not account for the massive built up recently. Then with the choked drains and 1 in 50 years rain, it cause disaster.

 

Above just my opinion with my little knowledge.

 

Haha NTU CEE? Was told that environment specialists now earn big bucks right?

 

Just don't deal with structures bec pai tan....

 

Basically the surface runoff excessive based on met data plus old storm drains not upgraded/maintained that led to the Great Singapore Sail situation...

 

Good lo, you guys can be engaged as consultants by PUB then

[Pchmj]

I hate structures to the core.

 

Too bad I grad during recession. Not doing engineering work now and pay very little. Can earn big bucks if become safety officer, in very high demand.

[Vulcann]

I hate structures to the core.

 

Too bad I grad during recession. Not doing engineering work now and pay very little. Can earn big bucks if become safety officer, in very high demand.

 

If you don't like this industry, leave now before you are stuck.

 

Too much "foreign" competition if you get my drift...

 

Go for the WSHO course. Understand both SP & NP offer them but heard very hot in demand..

 

Good luck.

[Pchmj]

If you don't like this industry, leave now before you are stuck.

 

Too much "foreign" competition if you get my drift...

 

Go for the WSHO course. Understand both SP & NP offer them but heard very hot in demand..

 

Good luck.

 

Already looking elsewhere.

 

Understand what you mean, I'm the only one in company who has NS liability, out of 30+ employees.