Singapore finishes Bukit Timah canal upgrade, lifts capacity 30%
What's next: PUB plans a feasibility study by end-2026 on added flood defenses, including underground stormwater storage.
Singapore completed a full upgrade of the 2.3-kilometer Upper Bukit Timah Canal, increasing stormwater capacity by 30% in one of the city-state’s most flood-prone areas. PUB said the final 900-meter stretch, from Rifle Range Road to Jalan Kampong Chantek near King Albert Park MRT station, cost about S$60 million and was widened and deepened after work began in 2019. The canal now serves an approximately 1,000-hectare catchment covering homes, businesses and nearby MRT stations. PUB said the project should better handle rainfall similar to storms seen over the past 15 years, but warned that extreme downpours can still trigger flooding because of Bukit Timah’s basin-like terrain, land limits and heavier rain linked to climate change.