Flood management with CCTVs

PUB to install 55 CCTVs in flood-prone areas

Channel NewsAsia, 3 Nov 2011

National water agency PUB is installing 55 closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras at flood-prone areas in Singapore, mostly in the central, eastern and western parts of the island. 

The installation is expected to be completed by early December this year. 

PUB said the installation of more CCTVs follows the success of its trial project along Bukit Timah Road, where six cameras were installed. 

The PUB said having these CCTVs help it to respond more quickly during intense storms or flash floods.

Tan Nguan Sen, Director (Catchment & Waterways) at PUB, elaborated: "We have to look at the critical locations like major canals....old low-lying areas. So we choose (where to install the CCTVs) based on these two main criteria." 

As for other areas, the PUB is working with the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to use its traffic cameras to monitor real-time conditions in the event of floods.

A world without 'white knights'

Globalisation could fail despite best efforts of governments: PM Lee

By Janice Heng, The Straits Times, 5 Nov 2011

GLOBALISATION could unravel despite the best efforts of governments, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong warned in an interview on Thursday.

Speaking to BBC television while in France for the Group of 20 (G-20) summit, he pointed to the possibility of a 'disorderly mishap' arising from the Greek debt crisis, even as European countries try 'very hard to make sure that matters are handled in a controlled and managed manner'.

'I think in this world environment, governments know they cannot disconnect themselves without a very high price,' he said.

'You do not want to wake up the next morning and find yourself in a totally new situation, and have no Plan B.'

The possibility that Greece may leave the euro zone has raised questions over the future of a unified Europe. If convergence in Europe fails, Mr Lee said, the world will face a difficult situation. That includes Singapore, which depends on a global economy characterised by predictability and international rules.

Asked what Singapore could do to help as a small country, he said Singapore would do its part in the international effort to solve the crisis: 'We join the fire brigade, we each do our part, and together with the homeowner, we try to diminish the problem.'

But no country will sacrifice itself 'to put out somebody else's fire', he noted. The world is no longer in an age of such 'white knights' riding to the rescue of countries in distress, he added.

Kindness is all around - Say Thanks, Make Someone's Day

Bangkok's perfect storm

Inadequate drainage, overdevelopment among problems, say experts

By Nirmal Ghosh, The Straits Times, 4 Nov 2011

BANGKOK: It was close to the perfect storm: unusually heavy rain, a large volume of pent-up water pouring in from the north, and high tides, all in Bangkok, a city sitting on a flood plain.

Even in normal years, the only thing that prevents flooding in the Thai capital is the city's battery of 758 submersible pumps, which discharge water mostly into the Chao Phraya River, propelling it out to sea.

What prevents the water from flowing back from the river and major canals - some of which holds water higher than the city - is close to 100km of dykes and flood walls lining the Chao Phraya.

But Bangkok's water drainage system was developed mainly for handling localised flooding caused by heavy rainfall, not massive run-offs from the north - which were exactly what it faced this year.

Adding to the problem, the flood plains around Bangkok which once helped to soak up heavy rainfall have been replaced by much development, putting modern, large-scale urban infrastructure and a bigger human population in the path of water heading from the north towards the sea.

Freedom of Information Act in the US & UK

A TALE OF TWO COUNTRIES AND THE PUBLIC'S RIGHT TO KNOW
Published The Straits Times, 4 Nov 2011

THE US: Few cared... until Watergate

WHEN the United States first gained a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), few paid attention.

President Lyndon B.Johnson quietly signed the Act into law in 1966. It was the fulfilment of a decade-long struggle by journalists and a handful of Democrat congressmen.

But just a few years later, things would change.

In the early 1970s, public discontent was brewing against the backdrop of the prolonged Vietnam War. Many citizens felt the government had embroiled the nation in a needless conflict.

With revelations in the early 1970s that the administration of then-President Richard Nixon had engaged in political spying, public distrust grew.

In this climate of disillusionment, the government started to be seen not as a force protecting citizens, but one against which citizens had to be protected.

Things came to a head with the 1972 Watergate scandal.

Help for the needy and less fortunate

Coordinated help for the needy already in place, replies ministry

WE THANK Mr Nicholas Teo for suggesting a one-stop assistance centre for the less fortunate ('Set up one-stop assistance centre for the less fortunate'; Monday) and share his aim of delivering help to the needy in a coordinated and expeditious manner.

Minister of State for Community Development, Youth and Sports Halimah Yacob recently highlighted in Parliament that we will be striving towards a 'no wrong door' policy, which means that those who need help will receive appropriate help regardless of which agency they approach.

This is important because a family in financial distress may also have multiple concurrent needs.

For these families, the first point of contact will work together with other relevant agencies to provide the appropriate assistance and intervention.

For example, if the family requires social work intervention, the community development councils (CDC), if approached, will link the family up with a family service centre (FSC) staffed by professional social workers.

Similarly, if a family were to turn up at an FSC seeking assistance, the centre, besides providing social work intervention, will also coordinate the help needed from various agencies depending on the needs of the case.

We will continue to review how help for families in need can be better coordinated, while placing the needy at the heart of what we do.

To this end, the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports will encourage the development of service hubs to share resources among service providers and provide integrated assistance for those in need of help.

This will ideally allow clients with multiple needs to easily access services at one location, instead of having to travel to different places.

If anyone knows of someone who genuinely needs help, please point them to the CDCs, FSCs or call ComCare at 1800-222-0000.

Dr Benjamin Koh
Director
ComCare and Social Support Division
Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports
ST Forum, 4 Nov 2011

Creating opportunities for more older people & the Re-employment Act

By Salma Khalik, The Straits Times, 4 Nov 2011

The tightening of the rules on foreigners working here will make it easier for older Singaporean workers to find jobs or continue working, said Health Minister Gan Kim Yong, who is also in charge of ageing issues.

The Ministerial Committee on Ageing (MCA), which he chairs, is trying to prepare Singapore for a time when one in five people here will be 65 or older - and that is just 18 years away.

Beyond 2030, the proportion of older people will continue to grow.

The MCA comprises 12 political appointees, including four ministers, whose job is to jointly turn Singapore into an age-friendly nation.

One of the committee's priorities is to get as many of the elderly as possible to stay productive, because this will both keep them active and provide them with a steady income.

Said Mr Gan: 'With additional constraints on foreign manpower, I think companies will have to innovate, find new ways of doing things, raise their productivity and at the same time be creative about employing people, tap on older workers and even women who are at home.'

This could mean retaining older workers by offering shorter working hours or fewer working days. There must be flexibility, he said.

'The challenge is to create opportunities for them, so that they have a choice. They might have to accept that they may not be able to work the same way that they've been working before. They might want to spend more time at home. They may not want to work too long hours.'

Nursing and teaching are two areas where older workers are being wooed back to work, largely due to a shortage of experienced staff.

Today, only 59 per cent of people aged 55 to 64 are still in the workforce. The Manpower Ministry, which Mr Gan formerly headed, wants to push that figure up to 65 per cent.

Govt to shoulder larger burden of medical care

Elderly to be a major focus: Health Minister

By Salma Khalik, The Straits Times, 4 Nov 2011

Health-care spending will go up as Singapore ages, and the Government will shoulder a larger burden of this to ensure medical care remains affordable, said Health Minister Gan Kim Yong.

While some of the additional money will be spent on infrastructure, manpower and services, the rest will be on 'very targeted help', he said.

One key area is the fast-growing segment of older people.

'A significant portion of the money will be spent on managing the ageing population, whether it means more nursing homes, more day care sectors... a lot more support for home care,' he said.

Mr Gan, who heads the Ministerial Committee on Ageing, noted that Singapore had not really experienced the real pressures of an ageing population yet.

Babyboomers will hit 65 only around next year, and at that age, people are still healthy, he said.

But in 10 to 20 years' time, the change in the make-up of society will be really apparent.

'We have to prepare for that, so I think a significant portion of the additional money that we'll be spending will be on this ageing,' he said.

The extra money will have to be spent wisely as resources remain limited, and projects must be those that will 'really make a difference'.

One example is the Primary Care Partnership Scheme  (PCPS) where eligible patients can see a general practitioner for their chronic ailments, with the Government footing part of the bill.

The scheme will be expanded from next year to benefit half the population aged 40 years and older.

This will mean an injection of more than $25.5 million a year. This additional money, Mr Gan said, is 'targeted very specifically at chronic diseases'.

A multifaceted look at ageing issues

By Chua Mui Hoong, The Straits Times, 4 Nov 2011

Singapore's Ageing Population: Managing Healthcare And End-Of-Life Decisions.
Edited by Chan Wing Cheong.

IF BOOKS on serious subjects like health care and dying can ever be said to be a treat, this is one of them.

It is an intellectual treat for the sheer range of perspectives on ageing: from the medical, sociological, legal and anthropological. It also scores in offering a macro- and micro-perspective, a rare feat for academic books. The 19 contributors to the book, most of whom based their chapters on papers presented at a conference on ageing earlier, come from different academic disciplines, and quite a few are policy practitioners. So there are insights into the flesh-and-blood experience of ageing, thanks to sociologists' first-hand interviews, and policy suggestions from researchers.

One chapter describes Singapore's demographic changes in the context of an ageing Asia-Pacific, offering a macro view of ageing.

Yet another zooms in in some detail on the experience of ageing among men in Singapore, using its ground-up perspective to offer suggestions on ways to help elderly men age in place: go beyond health-care needs to provide meals, social support and daily assistance.

Bukit Brown - Oh what should we do?

Bukit Brown deserves bustle of life

By Andy Ho, The Straits Times, 3 Nov 2011

HORSE riders, bird watchers and dog walkers lament the fact that Bukit Brown will soon be re-developed.

Closed as a Chinese burial ground in 1973, tombs as early as 1833 can be found there. There are now plans to build a dual four-lane road through it from 2013. This road will cover an area of 24ha and affect about 10,000 of the reputedly 100,000 tombs spread over 86ha there. Housing is slated to come up only in another 10 to 15 years.

The largest tomb there - the double one of Mr Ong Sam Leong (1857 to 1918) and his wife - is 10 times the size of a three-room Housing Board flat. If a 40-storey block were built over it, the land it alone occupies now will yield living space for 400 households.

Individuals may have different values and these values can be incommensurable, but, to me, it is always wrong to sacrifice human interests on the Gaia Altar of Biodiversity - a main reason being trotted out by those vociferously urging that Bukit Brown be left pristine.

Space is always contested, all the more so on our little island. For me, humans will always trump flora and fauna.

As detailed in 'The remains of the dead' by Tan Boon Hui and Brenda Yeoh in Spaces Of The Dead (2011), edited by Kevin Tan, resistance to state acquisition of burial land in times past came largely from clan associations to whom cemeteries 'represented a major focal point for community-bonding'.

But clan affiliation is arguably a minor component of one's identity these days. Thus, even a clan cemetery would resonate little emotionally with many a (younger) Chinese here today.

Accordingly, Bukit Brown preservationists generally have no genealogical ties to those interred there. These heritage buffs just love its historical and cultural value.

To be sure, famous people like Mrs Lim Nee Soon, Mr Lim Chong Pang, Mr Chew Joo Chiat and Mr Chew Boon Lay are buried there. They did well in life and even now are immortalised in many a place, street or town name here.

If stones could speak, their tombstones and other artistic pieces can be preserved in a (geomantically favourable) corner of Bukit Brown. The whole space could also be preserved digitally, as indeed some have suggested.

But those touting the historical and cultural reason for preserving the whole site untouched assume without arguing for it that there is something sacrosanct about keeping every stone in its place.

Be that as it may, there was indeed something sacred about Bukit Brown - but only as long as it was functioning fully as a burial ground.

As Tan and Yeoh note, 'to the various Chinese sub-communities, the burial grounds were a sacred landscape of repose'.

Yet no space is intrinsically sacred.

Food From The Heart charity founders leaving Singapore

Couple behind Food From The Heart will move back to Vienna

By Jennani Durai, The Straits Times, 3 Nov 2011

THE Austrian couple who started a charity here to collect unsold bread from bakeries, hotels and restaurants for distribution to the needy are leaving Singapore.

It is with sadness that Henry and Christine Laimer leave their nine- year-old 'baby' Food From The Heart.

Mrs Laimer, 50, in an interview with The Straits Times, described the charity as one that was born in a fateful moment and grew over the years into an outfit that today gives out an average of 28,000kg of bread every month to 8,000 needy individuals, aside from spawning other programmes along the way.

The Laimers, permanent residents here who run a logistics firm, are moving back to Vienna with their daughter in two weeks for private 'family reasons'.

On Tuesday, the reins at Food From The Heart were handed over smoothly to new hands: Businessman Anson Quek, who was on its board from the start, took over Mrs Laimer's post as executive director, while Mr Ronald Stride, president of the American Association of Singapore, succeeded Mr Laimer as chairman.

Recounting the birth of the charity, Mrs Laimer said it was in late 2002 that she read a report in The Sunday Times about bakeries dumping unsold bread at the end of the day, and just could not shake from her mind the thought of all that going to waste when it could feed the hungry. She said: 'It was one of those moments when I had to decide: Do I just keep my mouth shut and not act on it? Or do I put into action what's already forming in my mind?'

Government policies won't please all: DPM Teo

Government's job is to make decisions after taking in different feedback
By Tham Yuen-C, The Straits Times, 3 Nov 2011

If everybody wants an MRT service, someone will have to suffer the dust and noise of a station being built, perhaps near his home.

And if roads are to be widened, people will have to accept that some trees may have to be cut down to make space.



Citing these examples of trade-offs that decision-makers have to make, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean on Wednesday sought to show that not everyone will be happy with every decision made by the Government.

Nevertheless, it is the Government's job to make decisions, even when they are tough and unpopular, he said.

'After listening to everyone you have to decide... The responsibility of the Government is that you have to make a decision,' he said.

He was speaking at the Fullerton-St Joseph's Institution (SJI) Leadership Lecture, which was attended by students and representatives from community groups, universities and professional associations, as well as Mr Teo's former classmates.

The event, which took place at SJI's library, was the last instalment of the lecture series organised by the school and sponsored by The Fullerton Hotel, with each lecture delivered by an SJI alumnus who has made an impact on Singapore and its people.

Taking questions from the floor after a speech on the interaction between institutions and leaders, and the qualities that go into making a leader, Mr Teo, who is also Home Affairs Minister, touched on the dynamics of policymaking in government.

Since the last general election ended six months ago with the share of the national vote won by the dominant People's Action Party (PAP) sliding to a record low of 60.1 per cent, the challenge of reconnecting with voters has been an issue that has weighed on the minds of PAP leaders.

At the same time, the PAP has stressed that policies will involve trade-offs and must be decided rationally.

Mr Teo had his audience laughing on Wednesday with another example of just how tough pleasing the various groups of voters could be. He said: 'It cannot be that everybody wants a bus service, but nobody wants a bus stop in front of his house. The bus will never stop anywhere then.'