Sunday, December 25, 2011

Singapore. A climate change disaster

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I read today of Singapore's flooding once again. Several parts of Singapore were up to 1 feet underwater after rain including the prime shopping area of Orchard Road. It has already become an occurrence that happens almost every other day, if not daily. A few days ago, Singapore's state controlled newspapers reported of a new policy, which is just simply idiotic nonsense, not surprisingly, requiring new construction of buildings and beaches filled as land fills to be built a few inches higher.

This is Singapore's idiocy at it's highest. To put it in plain language, Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew knows that this time, even if Singaporeans have not done so, Mother Nature has got him by the neck.

You don't have to be a climate scientist to hear what I am about to say. And I am not one anyway.

With higher atmospheric temperature sea water level rises. And in a small island like Singapore which is not more than a few inches above sea level, this is a problem. A 10 year old by will tell you that.

Then there are tidal currents in the sea. When the Moon is aligned above Singapore, which it circles twice a day, gravitational pull of the Moon causes high tide, twice daily. Sometimes there are days when both the Sun and Moon are in line, then gravitational pull becomes even stronger, which means very high tides.

And since there are 2 high tides everyday, there is even the possibility of flooding twice a day, if it so happens that rain coincides with the tide.

Coming back to atmospheric temperature rises, higher temperature means the atmosphere has greater capacity to hold water vapour. So when it rains, it rains even harder, cats and dogs metaphorically speaking. In Singapore it is so hot and so humid that whenever it rains, it as if several Niagara Falls or Victoria Falls are by private agreement, all at once dumping the water over Singapore. Nowhere in the world does it rain so hard like it does in Singapore.

Each time there is high tide, and with rising sea level, the water from the sea rushes up the canals surrounding Singapore inland. With simultaneous massive waterfalls of rain, the rain water cannot be discharged. This is what causes floods. And as each day passes, sea level continues to rise not decline, the atmosphere continues to heat up higher and higher and the intensity of the rainfall continues to increase, more and more. It is a problem which is intensifying day by day and there is nothing, simply nothing that Lee Kuan Yew or anyone in the world can do.

Water in the volumes that pour down on Singapore simply cannot be displaced. You cannot keep it in an underground reservoir. You cannot hold it in an overheat tank. You cannot export it. You cannot send it out to sea. The volume is simply too large. Simply put, there is nothing you can do. When it comes, it will stay, and there is no 2 ways about it.

Coming to the stupidity that this man puts out to us, let us examine it. He says he is going to build on higher ground. But that only means that the water would rush to lower ground which would be flooded even worse. He says beach landfills would now be higher. But is that going to solve the problem of extensive low lying areas of Singapore which continue to be hit, and with his plan hit even worse?

Downtown Singapore and the Orchard Road Area are simply far too low in height and psychics simply tells us that water will find the lowest ground. Unless you demolish all the buildings in the Orchard Road Area and all the business high rise buildings in Raffles Place, relocate the entire population of Singapore and through landfill raise the entire island of Singapore about 5 feet and then rebuild once again, you are simply not going to solve the problem.

Mother Nature has got Lee Kuan Yew this time. All we have to do is to wait. As for me, I have no answers. There is no one in the world with answers. Vanuatu in the Pacific is sinking. The Maldives in the Indian Ocean is sinking. And now Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore is also sinking.

Finally this problem is not something which would have happened if we had democracy, because in democracies alternative views would have told you decades ago that the tyrant has got it wrong again, as all tyrants do always.

I am afraid the Titanic is sinking. If there are life boats left, board them. That is your only hope. Rearranging the proverbial deckchairs now is not going to do you any good.

Gopalan Nair
Attorney at Law
Disbarred from practicing law in Lee's Singapore, imprisoned and refused entry to the island for criticizing Singapore's judiciary in this blog (see blogpost May 29, 2008 Singapore. Judge Belinda Ang's Kangaroo Court)
Actively practicing law in California and in good standing at the California Bar.
Member in good standing as a lawyer in England and Wales (Barrister).
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, CA 94538, USA
Tel: 510 657 6107
Fax: 510 657 6914
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
Blog: http://singaporedissident.blogspot.com/

Your letters are welcome. We reserve the right to publish your letters. Please Email your letters to nair.gopalan@yahoo.com And if you like what I write, please tell your friends. You will be helping democracy by distributing this widely. This blog not only gives information, it dispels government propaganda put out by this dictatorial regime.

No comments: