1/11/2012

Solving the ponding problem

I am very impressed by the credentials of all the top drainage experts in town and their fanciful solutions to the ponding problems in Orchard Road. I think they will work, if not, just at a few more measures as things go along. It just costs a little more money that’s all.

I am no expert in any of these stuff, drainage, catchment area, water flow, rate of flow, porous material, drain capacity, and building ponds on roof tops. Hopefully they don’t burst or the flats do not collapse with the additional weight.

Looking at the big picture, my first layman impression is that the Marina Bay Reservoir has raised the water level in the city catchment area. All the drains and canals are perpetually full, or filled to a much higher level and capacity. As such, any sudden downpour will only raise the water level and add to the water already in the catchment area, canals and drains. And they will overflow very quickly. You don’t need a thunder storm that pour in a year’s rainfall in half an hour. Just get the city folks to pee into the drain and you will get ponding immediately.

Maybe, if they have not done so, try to lower the water level of Marina Bay Reservoir by a meter, if that is feasible, and live with it for a while to see how much more pondings will occur. It is not going to cost any money, or very little money. Just a small experiment before they go along with all the great and fanciful recommendations and infrastructure works which may not work. But they will certainly create a lot of jobs and employment and raise the GDP or National Productivity to a higher level.

This is really a two cent worth comment. Sometimes, when a person is having obese problems, there is no need to go on a specialist circuit to pay for all the expensive tests, advices and treatment when all it needs is a little dieting. Please laugh at it if you want. I am no expert and my credential is that of Emperor of Cyberspace, and my forte is to blog on controversies.

22 comments:

  1. I think the public could use a swimming pool on top of the ION or Tang. Porous road? Heng we don't chew gums anymore or we will clog those pores with wasted gums.

    Other than that, I think it will work.

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  2. I think your idea of lowering the Marina Reservoir by 1 meter is worth looking into.

    PROBLEM
    --------
    It's already decided that "Marina Reservoir is not the problem."
    It's somebody's pet project.

    Another point.

    POROUS ROAD
    ------------
    A major chemical company (whose chemical makes porous road possible), spent more than 5 years pitching this idea to the then PWD ... 25 years ago.

    Long story short.
    PWD was less than enthusiastic.
    Allowed only a few patches of road (no more than 200 meters long) for trials.
    Contrast with Australia which allocated 20 kilometers.
    After all, the trial was free.

    TYPICAL SINGAPORE LEADERSHIP
    ----------------------------
    Nothing like a major crisis for introducing new technology (the porous road is now old technology) into Singapore.

    Bloody Deaf Frogs.

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  3. should organise a pee-ing contest in Orchard Road n see which team comes up with the biggest pond in a given time frame

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  4. Matilah can contribute in the pee competition since he likes his booze while he stops over on his globe-trotting tours.

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  5. Adjusting the water level of the reservoir should work. They must pay redbean for this simple solution that could save them millions of dollars and doing a mess in Orchard Road, running around in circles.

    Good solutions are simple and effective.

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  6. Yah, we should start callingTang, Tank

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  7. matilah will turn orchard into a "pond" site.

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  8. orchard road shall be changed to pond street...our new hot attraction...watching pond

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  9. Aiya....your idea won't work la....its too simple....please come up with exotic more ideas

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  10. Aiya....your idea won't work la....its too simple....please come up with exotic more ideas

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  11. once a year...matilah will lead a parade of cocks down pond street

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  12. Hi jjgg, welcome to the blog.

    You are right. Too simplistic and no inputs from the experts. Need to build a $20b underground drainage network system, and turn it into an engineering wonder.

    Solutions must be endorsed by the experts and look great too: )

    Last time a bridge were some fallen trees or strong vines. Today bridges are architectural wonders in designs and material.

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  13. Climate change is one of the game changers of life in the present.

    The other game changers are competitive debasement of sovereign currencies (who can depress their currency the most to make the cuntree more "export competitive"), disruption and shortages of fossil fuel supplies, disputes over water rights, and political instability.

    There never used to be a ponding problem before. However, the amount of water being dumped is likely to increase, then decrease to a drought and then increase again. ie weather shifts will get MORE EXTREME.

    What Singapore -- tiny small-fuck of an island is missing is the steadily rising sea levels as the polar ice caps and glaciers melt. when they melt, they release the sequestered methane and CO2 making adverse effects of climate change WORSE, and accelerate the processes like a "negative feedback loop".

    So S'pore -- small fuck island that it is -- could face "drowning" unless it build sea walls like the Dutch have done.

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  14. The Marina Barrage already up. It keeps the sea water out but also the inland water in.

    Your forgot to state the fact that we used to have 2m people peeing and now more than 5m doing it. How not to get flood?

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  15. anon 1221:

    I used to be a climate skeptic. Then I painstakingly went through the data and scientific opinion. It took be a little less than 3 years.

    I have now shifted my position from climate change to be "bullshit" to "plausible and probable".

    As a skeptic, I always go with the data and change my position accordingly. I have no "emotional ties" to any political or religious ideology on this topic.

    I don't expect religious cunt-faces to look at any scientific data given that their world-view is based on unproven bullshit.

    I do agree: Al Gore is an asshole. And I am still a laissez faire, no-government (bo cheng hu) CAPITALIST.

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  16. Good for you Matilah. We agree on some and agree to disagree on others. By the way , you are one lucky bloke who can claim the world to be your oyster ( no pun intended horr )

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  17. Haha....

    go to hell with the gods and the sciences lah.

    Before the polar melt sink Singapore, Singaporeans would have decimate themselves lah!

    Can You not picture what will happen in a bomb shelter if and when Singaporeans need to use them?
    Singaporeans will literally kill each others inside there!

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  18. "Luck" is important, but it is not the only thing.

    The world is everyone's oyster. No need to "claim". It's already there in front of everyone of us.

    The sad/ funny/ comedy of errors part is people "make up" problems in their monkey brains and sabo themselves, and others they come into contact with.

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  19. anon 117

    >> Singaporeans will literally kill each others inside there!

    I won't disagree there! Kiasu, kiasi monkeys.

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  20. More like an artillery problem that needs a bypass surgery.

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  21. Artery clogged by too much curry from the pond.

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