Debated in Parliament on 16 Oct 2012.
Mr Christopher de Souza asked the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources if he will provide an update on the canal deepening exercise along Bukit Timah Road and whether the exercise is progressing on schedule.
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Mr Speaker, Sir, I thank Mr de Souza for the question, fiercely protecting his constituency. The Bukit Timah Catchment area measures some 3,000 hectares, and is served by the Bukit Timah Canal from Upper Bukit Timah Road all the way down to Balmoral Road. Due to its low-lying nature, this area continues to be at risk from flashfloods. In particular, the section that is demarcated by Blackmore Avenue down to Maple Avenue is at exceptional risk. So because of that, works started actually in December 2010 to upgrade that stretch of the canal. And this involves both deepening as well as widening the canal in order to increase its capacity.
There is another major piece of work that involves upgrading the Bukit Timah First Diversion Canal. This is a diversion canal that stretches from the junction of Maple Avenue and Bukit Timah Road and goes all the way across the hills of the Holland area to reach the junction of Ulu Pandan and Clementi Road. This is a 3.2 km diversion canal that diverts water from the Bukit Timah Catchment into Sungei Ulu Pandan, and thereby not only reduces the risk of flooding in the Bukit Timah area but also reduces risk of further flooding downstream – Balmoral and Newton Circus in the Rochor area. This upgrading will be completed in 2016. And we hope that it will lead to a substantial reduction in the risk of flash floods in that area.
In addition to that, we are also making sure that there is more timely information available to stakeholders and to the residents. For instance, we provide alerts on flood situations, including information on water levels in all our major canals to the public. This is available through the website, through tweets as well as through the smartphone apps that PUB has published.
I would like to assure Members that apart from upgrading, we also need to pay attention to maintenance and, in particular, to cleanliness within the canals. Because, clearly, if litter accumulates at the entrances to the canals, or indeed accumulates within the canal itself, we will also have flooding situation. So if members of the public notice any clogged drains or litter accumulating in any area, please inform us and we will take the necessary action on an immediate basis.
I thank the Minister for his response. I understand that the Bukit Timah Canal stretches all the way to about Sixth Avenue and then there is Maple Avenue downwards to Sungei Ulu Pandan, and out to the sea where it is caught again for the Pandan Reservoir purposes. And it is that second artery that I would like to pose a question on the Maple Avenue or the first diversionary canal. My concern is that there are many residential homes there between Bukit Timah Road and Ulu Pandan Road, and whether there can be a priority for PUB to expedite the widening and the deepening of the canal where it is near homes, for the sake of my residents.
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The Member is right that especially the first one-third of the diversion canal, in fact, goes through some heavily populated residential areas, including landed estates. And there is a part of the canal which actually goes underground. In fact, it becomes a tunnel. We have had to even move some residents out of their own homes during the construction phase in order to ensure safety. We have, of course, made the appropriate compensation to these residents. So, he has my assurance that we will take the interest of the residents as paramount. We will ensure safety. We will also have the appropriate monitoring equipment in place to ensure that there is no damage to property. Or even if there is a risk to that, we detect it early and we address it promptly.
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