In a lengthy commentary titled, “Past flood assumptions might not hold water” published in the Straits Times on 29 June 2010, journalist Grace Chua tried to downplay the significance of the flooding and shift the responsibility of preventing the flooding to Singaporeans. She wrote:
“If there were a severe flood, would Singaporeans be prepared? Would we be ready with a stock of clean drinking water, food, an emergency radio and first-aid supplies, or would we wait for someone to come to our rescue? The simplest thing Singaporeans can do, which will have a direct effect on the drainage system, is to stop littering. The public should not toss trash into drains or onto streets. A plastic cup or cigarette stub on the ground gets washed into the drainage system.”
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Why is she saying its Singaporean who throw rubbish into the drain. Why not the FTs? Singaporean are very kiasi, where got the guts to litter the drains. Later kerna CWO very malu.
What the…
..even if IT IS litter, why couldn’t they do a good job??? Is Singapore as LARGE as JB??? Is littering problem as bad as up north??? This is LAME!
The cheek to blame it on public littering! Those who supposed to keep drains & culverts clean and clear aren’t doing a thorough job..! Wht the xxx, with an increased population and they still stuck to the quarterly clearing and maintenance! This is a better example of Brain Drain… !
‘The simplest thing to do is stop littering’
This is no brainer – where to find trash-bins that are everywhere when one needs them?
Secondly – it goes to show our littering laws are NO LONGER effective [with influx of filth-habits foreigners]
Thirdly, following 2nd – anti-littering laws are outdated OR more likely LAW ENFORCMENT quality has gone down the drains [following the way of throwing litter]
Fourthly, this disgraceful grace blindly following orders to write on BLAMING Singpaoreans. WTF !!!
I think debris is only an aggravating factor in the recent floods. Even if it is an aggravating factor – why are there so much accumulation of debris in the 1st place ? What have the sweepers and littering enforcement officers been doing – or not doing ?
It is too simplistic to blame it on littering. Who ever wrote the Strait Times article is a no brainer.
I think it is more of the sand and mud from the ongoing construction activities that have clogged our drainage system rather than littering.
Who is Grace Chua and which papers she works for? May we have the full particulars so that the public can shame her for her comments. When we look around the streets they are clean and neat where got litters. Definitely due to the foreign cleaners not doing their job, the urban works that is going on, or global warming or perhaps a combination of all factors. I cannot think of anything else.
See – This is what happens because all you “lesser mortals” never listen to the Gahmen … we already tell you how many times: “Don’t litter”!
Are you deaf? We can be deaf but you cannot be deaf, OK?
When you are mute – we like that.
But when you are deaf – then read my lips: Don’t litter, Singaporeans!
The Pariah, http://www.singaporeenbloc.blogspot.com
Definitely sand blocking the culverts that prevent water from flowing. How do I know that? Am staying on the 8th flr of HDB flat in Aljunied constituency. My neighbour has got some potted plants with earth filled to the brim. She waters her plants everyday and the soil are splashed all over the floor. The joke is whenever there’s a heavy downpour,the corridor on the 8th flr will be flooded. Ha, ha. One of these days, I may need to approach the town council to build a bridge along the corridor so I do not have to wade thru the floods on my floor.
I agree with [Dis]grace Grace. Never can find the trash bin when you need one.
[ A plastic cup or cigarette stub on the ground gets washed into the drainage system. ]
So do the lengths of thick plastic cord used in grass-cutters. The workers just thrown then onto the ground. NEA, NParks, PUB and LTA please take note.
I agree with [Dis]grace Grace. Never can find the trash bin when you need one.
Grace, nice try, we kena wrongfully blamed till numbed already can. Need to three-leg the monkey ministers until like that meh. Give us a break lar… Life already very tough fir us leser mortals. Cam stop laddening us with more and more accusations?
Whatever the cause to the flooding, all of us are not experts to actually comment on the drainage system.
But one thing for sure Sporeans are no angels when it comes to littering. If we take the trouble to wake up early in the morning and walk the public areas, you will notice the amount of litter left behind from the previous day.. Mind you, foreigners are not only to blame. You will be surprise the negative impact that having maids doing our household chores for the past numerous years have done to our young people. Sporeans are good at this “if no one is looking, quickly drop the litter and walk quickly away. If caught, act innocent or give stupid reasons”.
I noticed this within my residential area but unfortunately, the officers do not patrol this area, and the cleaners clean once in a while (local cleaners). I end up picking up others trash just to ensure some form of cleanliness in my residential vicinity. And there are trash bins around and can you beat this, drink cans and plastic cups left next to
bin. To “Ah Kong” why places like Orchard is so clean because an army of cleaners sweep the premises early in the morning. However, it’s possible that the rain came before the scheduled sweepers and carried the trash into the drains. This would have to an accumulation over a period of time. Just one possible factor.
S’poreans are prepared wad, that is why pay our ministers so much to foresee problems before they arise.
maybe alternative political parties (let’s not use the term “opposition”) can pose this question:
“are you prepared to TAKE RESPONSIBILITY? are prepared?”
…………………………
for all the brow beating, maybe this “journalist” can show the people how prepared she & her immediate family is. set an example, dun just point fingers. also, the example must be realistic for flat dwellers with little space, low disposeable income, etc…
her article read more like a childish rant, rather unrealistic to expect people to be prepared for extreme weather anomaly, when relevent agencies with all their expertise, manpower & resources are not.
They deflected blame onto litter, so that irate Singaporeans would deflect the blame onto the Evil Foreigner, for being Dirty.
I may not be an expert in hydrodynamics or civic engineering, but I’ve not noticed a precipitous increase in litter. I have, however, noticed a precipitous increase in lavish construction projects in the city.
Besides, when your drainage system can empty an olympic swimming pool in minutes, litter shouldn’t even be a factor. Might as well blame the fish for swimming up the canals and dying.
Didn’t they blame the fires a few years ago on litter and cigarette stubs as well?
Anyway, let’s just wait for the littering fine to increase. Again.
some propaganda don’t work
most propaganda works.
look at us, brainwashed and soiled..
I CANNOT believe that its simply “littering” that caused a flood the scale of what hit Orchard. People often say that Straits Times is nothing more than a propaganda mouthpiece of the Government, but incidences like the article above confirm it.
Hehe i was recently introduced to someone (won’t mention names, let’s call him ‘A’) at a party, and ‘A’ proudly stated he works at SPH as a “journalist”. My friend didn’t give ‘A’ any face and replied that if he worked for SPH then he wasn’t really a journalist but nothing more than a ‘reporter’ because all he does is report what the gahmen wants him too! The look on ‘A’s face was priceless!! haha
Using the template a survey was conducted online and the results are as follows:
a Vegetation in culvert 11%
b Global warming 18%
c Unbridled urbanization 63%
d Litter in drains 35%
if litter is the main reason for the choked culverts, it must have been an issue the relevent authorities are not paying attention enough to.
cannot be only that faithful day got so much litter, could it be that funds collected for hiring people on the ground & buying new equipements to maintain a high level of cleanliness are spirited away?
wonder how many billions had been choke down LKY throat.