Rooftop gardens could solve Singapore's flooding problem
Rooftop gardens could solve Singapore’s flooding problem By Tyler Falk | January 18, 2012, 9:09 AM PST From SmartPlanet In the last two years, rapid urbanization and changing weather patterns have lead to major flash floods in Singapore. “[It] can be safely presumed that the weather patterns in Singapore have changed,” said Singapore’s Minister for the Environment and Water Resources last year after a flash flood where in one day Singapore received 77 percent of the amount of rainfall that usually falls in June. “It is very likely that our drainage systems will have to be redesigned to cope with such intense flashes.” Singapore convened a panel to come up with the best options for dealing with flash floods and stormwater runoff. Their suggestion? Not an overhaul of the drainage system, but rooftop gardens. Big infrastructure projects are costly and take time to replace. And while the upgrading the drainage system is likely necessary, the panel suggests a...