PUB launches guidebook for building owners, developers to help make their premises flood proof
SINGAPORE - Install mobile flood barriers to keep floodwaters out. Apply waterproof coatings to protect exteriors from water damage. Build raised entrances to increase thresholds above flood levels. These are some measures landowners and industry professionals such as architects and engineers can f
By Chin Hui Shan
SINGAPORE - Install mobile flood barriers to keep floodwaters out. Apply waterproof coatings to protect exteriors from water damage. Build raised entrances to increase thresholds above flood levels.
These are some measures landowners and industry professionals such as architects and engineers can find in a guidebook launched on June 18, which provides ideas to better protect their premises from floods.
The 99-page guidebook also provides a risk assessment tool to determine the likelihood and impact of floods, as well as appropriate actions to manage flood risk and prepare for flood scenarios.
Users can also find local case studies of how flood-proofing measures have been applied, as well as how to develop a flood response plan, in the guidebook.
Launched by national water agency PUB, the Flood-Resilient Developments Guidebook is the first of its kind to enhance resilience against inland and coastal flooding in Singapore.
Rainfall is becoming more intense and unpredictable as the climate warms. By 2100, Singapore’s mean sea level is projected to rise by up to 1.15m. In the event of high tides and extreme events like storm surges, sea levels could rise by 5m, leading to coastal flooding.
Speaking at the Singapore Water Association (SWA) Southeast Asia Symposium on Coastal Protection on June 18, Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Zaqy Mohamad said that achieving flood resilience is a shared responsibility.
Noting that 30 per cent of Singapore’s land could be chronically flooded or submerged if the nation does not act on sea level rise, he said that the efforts like the Code of Practice on Coastal Protection launched on June 17, put Singapore in a good position to adapt to sea level rise.
“However, achieving flood resilience more broadly requires everyone’s involvement,” he said. “Because flood resilience cannot be the responsibility of government alone. It has to reach every building, every estate, every household.”
The code of practice guides waterfront landowners and leaseholders on their obligations under a new law where occupants have to eventually build their own coastal protection measures.
The flood resilience guidebook was created by an 11-member Alliance for Action committee, which drew on industry experience and expertise of the members.
The committee also referred to similar guidebooks published in countries like the US, the Netherlands and Japan.
While the measures in the guidebook are not mandatory, they help property owners and property management professionals to make more informed decisions on flood-proofing, based on their specific site characteristics and operational needs, said PUB.
Users can also find a list of flood protection measures along with factors for comparison such as their costs, their advantages and disadvantages, operations and maintenance requirements, among others.
For example, flood bags - compact, super-absorbent ‘sandless’ bags to help block openings to prevent floodwaters - are low-cost and easy to mobilise but are only ideal for managing short-duration flooding and can leak under prolonged flooding.
The guidebook also highlights how some premises have integrated flood-resilient designs.
For example, Tanglin Mall adopted both permanent and deployable solutions that could work in tandem. Located at the junction of Tanglin Road and Grange Road, it is surrounded by areas on higher ground such as Napier Road and Nassim Hill and stormwater flows tend to converge during heavy rain.
Besides flood walls with integrated seating along the development’s perimeter, flip-up and slot-in flood barriers were also implemented in areas where permanent solutions were not feasible, to maintain barrier-free pedestrian and disabled-friendly access.
Sensors that monitor water levels and automatically trigger alerts have also been installed outside the mall’s entrance.
Besides the launch of the guidebook, it was also announced that PUB and the SWA Coastal Protection Chapter will develop a Skills and Competency Framework for the industry to build talent.
“A future-ready workforce is needed to plan, design and deliver effective coastal protection solutions,” said Zaqy, who noted that specialised skillsets like flood modelling, coastal engineering as well as operation and maintenance of flood protection systems are needed.
To be completed in the first half of 2027, the framework will guide industry on essential skills, provide a structured pathway to relevant training and signal the need for workforce readiness as coastal protection works scale up.