Heavy rain causes flash floods in Singapore

SINGAPORE - Heavy rain battered Singapore on Tuesday afternoon, toppling trees and causing flash floods and accidents in many locations.

National water agency PUB said the heaviest rainfall was recorded at Handy Road, near The Cathay, with total rainfall of 95.4mm from 2.10pm to 4pm. At the peak between 2.30pm and 3pm, there was 49.4mm of rain.

PUB said flash floods were reported at Mackenzie Road near Little India, Kramat Lane behind Concorde Hotel along Orchard Road and Bassein Road near Tan Tock Seng Hospital in Novena.

"The flash floods were due to intense rain, which overwhelmed the drainage systems in these areas," said PUB. "The localised flash floods subsided in less than 25 minutes and the roads remained passable to traffic."

PUB said it is improving flood protection in the three areas. Culverts at Mackenzie Road and Bassein Road will be deepened and widened. Orchard Road drainage will be improved when Stamford Detention Tank and Stamford Diversion Canal are completed by 2016 and 2017 respectively.

Fallen tree branches obstructed Tampines Expressway at four points and Central Expressway at one spot, said the Land Transport Authority. Between 12pm and 5pm yesterday, it posted 18 tweets alerting the public to accidents on expressways and major roads.

Fallen trees were also reported in Sengkang and Punggol.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force, alerted at 12.40pm, extricated three people who were trapped after a tree fell on their Mazda car at Jalan Kuras in Upper Thomson. The man and woman in their 40s and a girl, 10, declined to be taken to hospital.

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