Due to heavy rain on Sunday there were reports of flash flooding in the Bukit Timah neighborhood.
According to the national water agency PUB, many parts of Singapore experienced heavy rainfall on Sunday afternoon. Due to high water levels in the adjacent drains and Bukit Timah Canal, flash floods started to occur around 5 pm along Dunearn Road and Bukit Timah Road near King Albert Park.
In a Sunday afternoon Facebook post, the agency stated, "PUB's Quick Response Teams were deployed ahead of the rain and later closed off affected lanes, directing traffic away from floodwaters." It was 20 minutes until the flash floods stopped.
The Bukit Timah area is prone to floods, according to PUB, and within the previous 10 years, drainage enhancement projects have been completed along the Bukit Timah Canal and Bukit Timah First Diversion Canal.
As a long-term step to improve flood protection in the area, there are also ongoing projects to deepen and widen a 900-meter section of the Bukit Timah Canal, which runs from Rifle Range Road to Jalan Kampong Chantek. By 2026, this will be finished.
Additionally, the government issued flood risk alerts for about 20 localities, including Toa Payoh and Bukit Timah, as well as for central and western regions like Chinatown and Choa Chu Kang.
In central Singapore, the highest rainfall, 134.6 mm, occurred between 3.15 pm and 5.25 pm. This falls within the top 1% of daily rainfall records since 1978 and represents over 41% of Singapore's typical monthly rainfall in December.
PUB said, "Due to the prevailing northeast monsoon, heavy rainfall can be expected during this period."
"Sudden and intense storms can temporarily overwhelm our canals and drains, causing localised flash floods, which typically subside within an hour."
To stay informed about flood warnings, avoid areas at danger of flooding, and receive heavy rain notifications, people are encouraged to utilize the MyENV app and the PUB Flood notifications Telegram channel.
