mr funny
30-08-10, 21:01
http://www.straitstimes.com/News/Home/Story/STIStory_572293.html
Aug 29, 2010
Flood campaigner's persistence pays off
By Elgin Toh
When a 190m stretch of Wilby Road is raised in about three months from now, residents of The Tessarina condominium will have Dr Audrey Tan to thank for her quiet, but determined, campaign.
Repeated flooding of the road outside the condominium prompted the 38-year-old dermatologist to lobby national water agency PUB; her MP, Mr Christopher de Souza; and even Cabinet ministers for something to be done.
Why not raise the road level, she asked at a meeting with the PUB in March, after severe flooding four months earlier saw the condominium's underground carpark inundated, causing damage to cars that ran into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
She said that each time she raised the matter, officials told her that it was an option but that there were budgeting issues.
She would not let up. Between then and last month, when another major flood hit the condominium badly again, she had painstakingly captured on video five separate instances when Wilby Road was fully submerged.
Each time, she would make her way to a nearby overhead bridge - umbrella in one hand, camera in the other - wading through shin-high water.
The images she captured proved critical. As a PUB spokesman noted: 'Dr Tan's videos were very informative because they showed how the floods were developing. Once we knew that, we could take action to mitigate against future flooding, and one of the measures we decided on was to raise the level of Wilby Road.'
Work to raise the road by half-a-metre - or about knee-high - will start on Wednesday. The $800,000 project will be completed by Nov 23, the spokesman added.
Doing so should prevent flood waters from flowing into the condominium's underground carpark and causing damage. The water will instead be channelled to the nearby Bukit Timah canal.
Dr Tan's efforts have won her praise from not only the PUB, but fellow residents and Mr de Souza.
Said the MP: 'Dr Tan is a good example of how residents could represent their neighbourhood in seeking improvements. This has been a wholesome experience in government-citizen partnership.'
The Tessarina made the headlines following the floodings last November and last month.
Heavy downpours caused water from the canal to overflow to the surrounding areas, including the Tessarina.
Following the floods, the Government improved road culverts, expanded roadside drains, and committed itself to deepening the Bukit Timah canal, a project that will take two years.
However, Dr Tan pointed out that the canal may still overflow in the interim - hence her call to raise the level of low-lying Wilby Road.
Among those who applauded her dogged persistence was fellow resident Tony Mok, 43: 'She put in a lot of effort and personal time, and the residents respect her for that.'
Added retiree Pauline Ong, 65: 'This is such good news. I appreciate that the decision has been reached promptly and efficiently.'
Dr Tan modestly played down her role. 'I think it's all been worth the while, even though it has not been easy. I give credit to all the agencies involved and to Mr de Souza. If they had not been so approachable and willing to help, we would not have got this far.'
Aug 29, 2010
Flood campaigner's persistence pays off
By Elgin Toh
When a 190m stretch of Wilby Road is raised in about three months from now, residents of The Tessarina condominium will have Dr Audrey Tan to thank for her quiet, but determined, campaign.
Repeated flooding of the road outside the condominium prompted the 38-year-old dermatologist to lobby national water agency PUB; her MP, Mr Christopher de Souza; and even Cabinet ministers for something to be done.
Why not raise the road level, she asked at a meeting with the PUB in March, after severe flooding four months earlier saw the condominium's underground carpark inundated, causing damage to cars that ran into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
She said that each time she raised the matter, officials told her that it was an option but that there were budgeting issues.
She would not let up. Between then and last month, when another major flood hit the condominium badly again, she had painstakingly captured on video five separate instances when Wilby Road was fully submerged.
Each time, she would make her way to a nearby overhead bridge - umbrella in one hand, camera in the other - wading through shin-high water.
The images she captured proved critical. As a PUB spokesman noted: 'Dr Tan's videos were very informative because they showed how the floods were developing. Once we knew that, we could take action to mitigate against future flooding, and one of the measures we decided on was to raise the level of Wilby Road.'
Work to raise the road by half-a-metre - or about knee-high - will start on Wednesday. The $800,000 project will be completed by Nov 23, the spokesman added.
Doing so should prevent flood waters from flowing into the condominium's underground carpark and causing damage. The water will instead be channelled to the nearby Bukit Timah canal.
Dr Tan's efforts have won her praise from not only the PUB, but fellow residents and Mr de Souza.
Said the MP: 'Dr Tan is a good example of how residents could represent their neighbourhood in seeking improvements. This has been a wholesome experience in government-citizen partnership.'
The Tessarina made the headlines following the floodings last November and last month.
Heavy downpours caused water from the canal to overflow to the surrounding areas, including the Tessarina.
Following the floods, the Government improved road culverts, expanded roadside drains, and committed itself to deepening the Bukit Timah canal, a project that will take two years.
However, Dr Tan pointed out that the canal may still overflow in the interim - hence her call to raise the level of low-lying Wilby Road.
Among those who applauded her dogged persistence was fellow resident Tony Mok, 43: 'She put in a lot of effort and personal time, and the residents respect her for that.'
Added retiree Pauline Ong, 65: 'This is such good news. I appreciate that the decision has been reached promptly and efficiently.'
Dr Tan modestly played down her role. 'I think it's all been worth the while, even though it has not been easy. I give credit to all the agencies involved and to Mr de Souza. If they had not been so approachable and willing to help, we would not have got this far.'