Flash floods in Bukit Timah area due to heavy rain

SINGAPORE: Flash floods were reported in the Bukit Timah area on Sunday (Dec 29) due to heavy rain.

Many parts of Singapore experienced heavy rainfall on Sunday afternoon, national water agency PUB said.

Flash floods occurred along Dunearn Road and Bukit Timah Road near King Albert Park from about 5pm due to high water levels in the nearby drains and Bukit Timah Canal.

"PUB’s Quick Response Teams were deployed ahead of the rain and later closed off affected lanes, directing traffic away from floodwaters," said the agency in a Facebook post on Sunday afternoon.

The flash floods subsided in 20 minutes.

PUB noted that the Bukit Timah area is prone to flooding and that drainage improvement works have been carried out along Bukit Timah Canal and Bukit Timah First Diversion Canal over the past decade.

There are also ongoing works to widen and deepen a 900m stretch of Bukit Timah Canal - from Rifle Range Road to Jalan Kampong Chantek - as a long-term measure to enhance flood protection in the area. This will be completed by 2026.

The agency also issued flood risk warnings for nearly 20 locations, including Bukit Timah and Toa Payoh, as well as western and central areas such as Choa Chu Kang and Chinatown.

The heaviest rainfall of 134.6mm was recorded in central Singapore from 3.15pm to 5.25pm.

This amount is about 41 per cent of Singapore's average monthly rainfall in December and lies within the top 1 per cent of maximum daily rainfall records since 1978.

"Due to the prevailing northeast monsoon, heavy rainfall can be expected during this period," said PUB.

"Sudden and intense storms can temporarily overwhelm our canals and drains, causing localised flash floods, which typically subside within an hour."

People are advised to use the MyENV app and PUB Flood Alerts Telegram channel to receive heavy rain alerts, avoid flood risk locations and stay updated on flood warnings.