SINGAPORE - At the former village headman’s house on Pulau Ubin on March 2 – a sunny day – Madam Tan Luay Ching’s daughter and domestic helper were sweeping away flood waters from the porch. A higher-than-normal tide of 3.4m in the afternoon had caused sea water to overflow its banks nearby, spilling water into the ancestral home’s porch. Come March 30 and 31, when high tides are expected to reach 3.4m again in the early afternoon, Madam Tan’s house could once again be flooded even when it is not raining.An Ubin resident all her life, Madam Tan, 86, is resigned to the fact that sea water will reach her home at least once a year. This seasonal high tide is known as a spring tide, when the sun, moon, and earth align to create the greatest gravitational pull on the sea. Monsoon surges also cause flooding on the island at times. Such spring tides may occur a few times each year, sending sea water creeping out of drains and spilling over banks at five low-lying areas on the island. They include the main village and a few bridges. Such “daylight flooding” occurred on March 1, 2 and 3. Domestic helper Sri Puji, 29, sweeping away sea water from the entrance of Madam Tan’s house at 1.20pm on March 2.ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUISpeaking in Teochew, Madam Tan, who is the former village headman’s daughter-in-law, said: “It is a great inconvenience every time because we need to sweep the water away and later mop the floor. But we were sort of prepared because I looked at the lunar calendar and knew when to expect the flood.”While the roughly 30 villagers on Ubin have had to ride out these seasonal floods, such coastal flooding events could worsen when compounded with rising seas. The mean sea level around Singapore is projected to rise by up to 1.15m by 2100, according to the country’s third national climate change study. To find ways to protect the island from future sea level rise, Pulau Ubin will in the future be part of a site-specific study that will be undertaken at the north-east coast, which will cover areas such as Punggol and Pasir Ris, said national water and coastal protection agency PUB. This study is among eight islandwide studies Singapore is conducting on its coastlines to determine the most suitable coastal protection solutions for each area. Cyclists moving along the flooded road on Jalan Jelutong on March 2. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUIThe study on Ubin will factor in the island’s unique characteristics as a popular heritage and nature spot. The rustic island hosts one of the largest mangrove areas in Singapore, with almost all species known to the country being found there. On the eastern coast, the biodiversity-rich Chek Jawa Wetlands is made up of six major habitats including a rocky beach, seagrass lagoon and coral rubble. More details of the entire north-east coast study, including its start date, will be shared when ready. Studies on Singapore’s north-east coast and its neighbouring north coast will be the last of the eight to be announced. So far, the seasonal floods on Ubin have not shown a worsening trend over the past years, said Ms Hazel Khoo, director of PUB’s Coastal Protection Department. NParks staff directing visitors at the area near the Wayang Stage at the main village, which was flooded. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUIAs the central managing agency of Pulau Ubin, the National Parks Board (NParks) has over the years taken measures to alleviate the flooding. Among various measures, a drain at the back of the main village was recently created to divert rain water away from the kampong houses, said Ms Choi Yook Sau, a deputy director of conservation at NParks. A few earth tracks – including one leading to Chek Jawa Wetlands – have also been topped up to raise their levels and prevent flooding, added Ms Choi, who is based on Ubin. On March 2, officers were stationed to block the flood-prone areas or guide visitors to slowly cycle through the flooded bridges, if passable and safe. On Noordin Bridge, the waters reached up to the calves.
A police vehicle driving along a flooded Jalan Noordin next to Lang Hut at 1.50pm on March 2. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUIA drain next to the sea, near the Wayang Stage, was upgraded in 2024. But on March 2, the flooding could not be avoided, with the drain overflowing.Most visitors did not appear too bothered by the flooding, which lasted about two hours from noon to 2pm. Many chose to cross the flooded lanes while others waited in shops. Children played in the water. For Madam Tan, the March 2 flood episode was less troublesome in comparison with a previous one a couple of years ago, which drenched her entire house. The only thing she and her domestic helper could do was to move easily-damaged items like electronics and fabric furniture above ground. Visitors waiting at the popular Ah Ma Drink Stall and observing a pair of mating horseshoe crabs in a flooded pathway on March 2. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI“As long as they were placed above the flood waters then everything was fine. Nothing was damaged. The furniture was not dirty so we did not clean them,” said Madam Tan.Like her, some villagers are accustomed to the seasonal floods, getting ready to clean up after the sea water recedes. Others have taken matters into their own hands to prevent the flooding from greatly affecting their houses and businesses.Ms Merry Tan, who works at a family-owned bike rental and dessert shop, had her bedroom and living room raised by about 20cm with cement to prevent flood waters from entering. Her family’s kampong home, located behind the store, also doubles as a warehouse, with store supplies set aside. Ms Merry Tan, who is in her 50s, stands in her kitchen area, which was flooded on March 2. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUIHer elongated kitchen area, however, sits on a couple of drains which overflowed on March 2, leaving puddles of sea water along the stretch. Bike rentals are big business on Ubin, and sea water is a bicycle’s enemy because salt water corrodes metal. In the afternoon, bike rental store workers and owners, including Mr Lim Chye Hee, 70, were busy hosing down returned bicycles. Mr Lim Chye Hee, 70, owner of a bicycle rental shop, House no. 28, washing sea water off returned bicycles after the flood receded. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUIMr Lim, who owns a bicycle rental shop, stores most of his bikes in House 25 and 28, which can get flooded. Homes and shops on the island are given numbers. To prevent flood waters from reaching the bikes, Mr Lim and his son placed wooden planks in a criss-cross layout across the floor early this year. This leaves a gap between the original floor and the planks. The bicycles now stand on the planks, and any flood water entering the house would flow under the planks, said Mr Lim. In the second half of 2025, coastal protection plans further south, for Changi and the Greater Southern Waterfront, will be unveiled. Both zones are part of the City-East Coast site study which started in 2021. Solutions could include sea walls, barriers and earth bunds for various segments of the coastline. Shabana Begum is a correspondent, with a focus on environment and science, at The Straits Times.More on this TopicJoin ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.Thanks for sharing!