Monday, April 22, 2013

Singapore Island Quixotic attempts to stop the incoming tide

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Two days ago, there was, as it has already become a routine event in Singapore Island, torrential rain during which the island once again flooded. The only difference was, this time, the flood had extended beyond the usual places of the Bukit Timah, Thomson Road and Serangoon areas; it was island wide, with flooding even happening n Jurong and Toa Payoh.

None of this should have been surprising to Singapore strongman, 92 year old Lee Kuan Yew and his son, the Prime Minister (you can say, all in the family), and their handpicked nincompoop scholars who run the show, but apparently it did not!

They, these government scholars, went on merrily in their building spree of skyscrapers in their overcrowded tiny island without even considering that it is in most places only a few inches above sea level, and that if Al Gore was right about global warming, the place should rename itself from Singapore Island City to Underwater City immediately.

It appears all their education these Lee scholars received at taxpayer expense did not teach them anything about global warming or they deliberately ignored it to please their master. Either way they have made a fool of themselves let alone letting down their people whom they govern with an iron fist.

In their latest pathetic attempt to solve the unsolvable question of rising sea level and flooding, they have decided to become even more silly than they already are by claiming, in effect that they are going to stop the incoming tide through, such nonsense as, rooftop gardens and flood barricades.

In yesterdays state controlled Asiaone report titled "More flood protection for some projects”, they say “For instance, all industrial, institutional, commercial and residential projects with land sizes larger than 0.2ha - or about the size of Liat Towers or Tong Building in Orchard Road - will have to include features to slow down and retain rainwater. This may be in the form of detention tanks, retention ponds and rain gardens." See http://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Singapore/Story/A1Story20130423-417764.html

Its like Don Quixote trying to bend a windmill by leaning on it!

Let me tell our 92 year old tin pot tyrant, Lee Kuan Yew, who will arrest anyone who criticizes him, that all this is just plain nonsense. It simply will not work. It is simply too late for Singapore Island which is just a few inches above water to keep the tide out.

Once again, here comes my global warming lecture. Atmospheric temperature is rising above the island as a result of global warming. This means the hot air can contain more water vapor. When it condenses a deluge of water falls from the sky. And this water simply cannot flow out to sea, because at high tide, it is the other way around. The sea wants to come in.

And the most important fact; the temperature continues to rise day by day, which means more and more flooding, deeper and deeper floods and less and less of tiny Singapore island being habitable. If today you have a foot high flood, next year it will be two feet and more. It is something you cannot stop, not with retension ponds or even the rain dance.

Second sea water temperature rises. This means it expands. And this means the water level rises. And to add to it, the polar icecaps are melting causing even higher sea level.

Three, you have two tides a day. Certain times when the Sun and Moon are aligned and closer to Earth, you get higher tides due to gravity. When these high tides and rainfall coincide, the water has nowhere to go. In fact at these times, it is the sea that encroaches into the tiny island.

You can build as many retention ponds and do the rain dance and samba if you want, but it will do you no good. It is too late pal. The sea is finally coming in. Accept that fact. Realize that you will have to live more and more days in a year in your island submerged and underwater.

I realize that many Singaporeans are emigrating because of their dislike of Lee Kuan Yew and his one party dictatorship but I am surprised why even more do not leave on account of the far too frequent flooding, a problem even graver than anything else.

Since the island has in my view already become intolerably hot and humid, and now with these regular days of flooding, I expect even more to say good bye to Lee Kuan Yew and his island for the first flight out.  

Gopalan Nair
Attorney at Law
A Singaporean in Exile
Fremont, California, USA
Tel: 510 491 4375
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

LKY is becoming the most hated man in Singapore. Discuss.

His policies have led to the high cost of living.
His FT policies have led to overcrowding.
His FT policies have led to unemployment among citizen PMETs.
He wont let you collect your CPF at 55 or 60 or whatever age tomorrow brings.
His stop at two policies have decimated the number of Singapore citizens.
His speak Mandarin policy has destroyed the rich dialect culture that once existed in the country.


Let's get a discussion going and see if your readers can contribute.

I hope LKY lives for another ten years. The hatred for him will them become universal in Singapore.

Anonymous said...

Thank you Gopalan for reminding this great danger.

Anyway, it has been priven that there's no hope as long as you remain in Singapore.

This island is doomed to be wiped out by mother nature.

The Lee family know this. They can destroy their opponents, manipulate the press, rig the election or anything they please. But they know mother nature is beyond their control, & hence the construction of an ark at the peak of Marina Bay Sands. When the day comes, this will be their escape upon the first sign of trouble

But sadly, the rest of Singapore will meet its doom.

MAJULAH SINGAPURA