THE Public Utilities Board (PUB) has stepped up efforts to ensure clean and free-flowing drains in a bid to prevent flash floods during the upcoming north-east monsoon season.

PUB has began the inspection and cleansing of 90 and flood-prone areas such as Little India and Geylang to ensure drains and drainage outlets are not choked with fallen leaves or litter.

The water agency is also working with the Land Transport Authority (LTA) as part of a road drainage taskforce to ensure road tunnels and underpasses drainage systems are working well.

PUB can also tap on LTA's 24-hour CCTV monitoring system to view road conditions at over 560 locations.

Motorists will be alarted to any flooding on the roads via the Expressway Monitoring and Advisory System.

Twenty wireless water level sensors have been installed to monitor water levels in drains and canals in flood-prone areas. Alerts are sent to PUB officers when the water reaches a certain level.

According to Director of Catchment and Waterways, Mr Tan Nguen Sen, over the last 30 years, PUB has invested 'more than $2 billion in drainage improvement works'.

He urged Singaporeans not to litter and to keep the catchments and waterways clean, as 'litter washed into the drains and drainage holes by the rain can cause blockages that impede the flow of water'.

Members of the public can call the PUB 24-hour contact centre, PUB-One at 1800-284 6600 to report drainage obstructions.

The north-east monsoon season is likely to set in around late November. This marks the onset of the rainy season in Singapore which is expected to last till January next year.