Submerged cars, floating rubbish bins: Grass clippings the cause of flash flood in Bukit Timah

Flash floods from a heavy storm affected a few areas in Singapore on Tuesday (Nov 9) with some braving the elements as they worked while others had their homes completely flooded.

One area was King's Road, located in Bukit Timah, and according to national water agency PUB, the flooding was due to grass clippings clogging up the inlet chambers along King's Road and the adjacent Prince Road.

"These inlet chambers are meant to channel rainwater runoff from the road into the drainage system, and must not be blocked. We assessed that this blockage was the cause of the flooding," a PUB spokesman told Stomp.

"After the debris in the inlet chambers had been cleared, PUB checked the recent activities in the area and learnt that there were grass cutting works done in the morning on the same day. We are reaching out to the relevant parties to follow up," they added.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQY5gTjkoJk[/embed]

In a viral video circulating online, King's Road can be seen with debris and rubbish bins floating in water. Parked cars by the roadside weren't spared with water fully submerging its tires.

In the video, the driver attempts to manoeuvre their vehicle in the water. "Oh my god, go by the other way. Oh my god, I'm very worried about the car," a woman in the car of the video said.

Lin, a resident who's lived in the estate for three decades, told Shin Min Daily News on Wednesday that flooding is a common occurrence. He added that fallen leaves and silt accumulated over time was the reason for the clogged drains. 

In a Facebook post on Nov 9, PUB warned of heavy rain over northern, western and central areas of Singapore during a 30-minute window from 3pm. They have also launched a Telegram channel that provides timely heavy rain alerts, flood risk and flash warnings. 

In August, PUB announced they will be raising a 450m stretch of Dunearn Road, where flash floods have occurred three times this year — to reduce the risk of such incidents there. The works are expected to be completed by November.  

ALSO READ: 'Will I need to swim downtown?' Netizens on flash floods in Bukit Timah

amierul@asiaone.com