Jurong West grapples with flash floods after heavy downpour on 28 Nov afternoon

SINGAPORE: Several roads in the Jurong West area experienced flooding on Tuesday afternoon (28 Nov) due to an intense downpour across western Singapore.

According to the water agency PUB’s Facebook announcement later that evening, a flash flood took place at 3.42 pm along Boon Lay Way.

PUB said its Quick Response Team was onsite to render assistance to members of the public and the flash flood “subsided within 20 minutes”.

In their update, PUB highlighted that the heaviest rainfall, measuring 104.1mm, was registered in western Singapore between 3.05 pm and 4.20 pm that day.

This amount equals nearly half of Singapore’s average monthly rainfall for November.

On various social media platforms such as Facebook and TikTok, numerous users have shared visuals capturing the intensity of the heavy rain downpour.

@bikashsaha485

Heavy rain #foryou

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One TikTok video showcased a taxi stranded on the road as a result of the severe downpour leading to a flash flood.

“The water raised to nearly kneel level but receded around 1 hour later… Drive safe and be calm,” the TikToker wrote.

@dm_ainz

Taxi stuck along the road due to heavy downpours n flashflood …The water raised to nearly knee level but receded around 1 hour later … Drive safe n b calm

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Additionally, videos circulating on Facebook displayed scenes of flash floods occurring in the vicinity of Lakeside MRT and along Boon Lay Way.

Netizens: ‘Grab sampan’ could be handy if flooding persist

Observing social media, netizens added a touch of humour to the situation.

Some joked that Boon Lay should be renamed “Boon Lay Waterway” or humorously suggested calling it “Pond Lay.”

One netizen quipped that a “Grab sampan” service might come in handy, hinting at potential high demand and a probable surge in prices during such flood-related circumstances.

Hilariously, some are referring to the incidents as ‘ponding’ – a reference to a few years ago when the media came up with the term ‘ponding’ in reference to the Orchard Road floods as a way to avoid using the word ‘flood’.

On a more serious note, many are urging the government to take a more proactive role in upgrading the island’s drainage system to cope with the floods that are inevitable each monsoon season.