Works to alleviate flooding in Orchard Road about half completed

The Stamford Diversion Canal and Stamford Detention Tank will reduce the load of the Stamford Canal - which flanks Orchard Road on both sides - by 30 per cent, a spokesman said. ST PHOTO: LAU FOOK KONG

SINGAPORE - Major works by PUB to improve flood protection along Orchard Road are about halfway done, the national water agency said on Thursday (June 9).

The Stamford Diversion Canal and Stamford Detention Tank will reduce the load of the Stamford Canal - which flanks Orchard Road on both sides - by 30 per cent, a spokesman said.

The diversion canal, which will relieve the Stamford Canal of a portion of water, is close to 50 per cent completed.

The detention tank, which will hold water temporarily so that less flows into Stamford Canal, is more than 50 per cent completed.

The 2km diversion canal will divert 240ha of the total 630ha of catchment into the Singapore River through two underground tunnels and drains, said Mr Ridzuan Ismail , director of the Catchment and Waterways Department.

He was speaking at a media briefing at the Environment Building in Scotts Road.

The diversion canal is expected to be constructed by the first quarter in 2018. It will stretch from Tanglin Road to Grange Road and off Kim Seng Road.

For 1km of the stretch, works for two tunnels - measuring 4.5m in internal diameter - under Grange Road will start in July.

The detention tank, which can store as much water as 15 Olympic size pools, or 38,000 cu m of water, will sit 28m under the Singapore Botanic Gardens coach park.

Water flowing towards Stamford Canal from Holland Road will overflow from a drain along the road into a chamber where two pipes measuring 2.5m internally will channel the water into the tank.

Water sensors will alert the automated system to release the collected water when rainfall has subsided. The water will flow both ways by gravity.

Liat Towers' basement level shops were flooded in 2011. PHOTO: LIAT TOWERS
Liat Towers flooded after the rain on Dec 23, 2011. PHOTO: LIAT TOWERS

"The Stamford detention tank is both to help out and mitigate possible flooding in the Orchard Road area, and more importantly, in the longer term we hope that it will also help to mitigate the variable weather pattern we are going to see," he told reporters.

The tank is expected to be ready by the first quarter of 2017.

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