SINGAPORE: A study commissioned by the National Environment
Agency (NEA) has confirmed that there is a low probability of Singapore
being affected by a tsunami.
The two-year, S$1.3 million study was jointly conducted by the
National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological
University (NTU).
Director-General of Meteorological Services at NEA, Foong Chee Leong,
said the study showed that even major underwater earthquakes in nearby
regions will have minimal impact on Singapore.
"Even under the worst case scenario of a great earthquake of
magnitude 9 happening in the Manila Trench, because of the shallow
water, by the time the waves arrives (in) Singapore, the energy will
have dissipated, and also because of the distance and the slowdown by
the wave, it takes more than ten hours for the first wave to reach
Singapore," said Mr Foong.
The study also examined the impact of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami and
found that the maximum wave height at Singapore was less than 0.3
metre, and it took 15 hours to arrive from Aceh.
Singapore usually experiences a tidal height of 1.5 metres at high tide.
When asked about the safety of people who may be in the water when the
first wave hits, Dean of the College of Engineering at NTU, Professor
Pan Tso-Chien said there was little danger.
"If you look at past records, as the wave comes in, those who are on
the water actually feel like it's a bumpy ride, that's all there is.
It's those who are on the shore when the waves suddenly surge – that is
where the problem is," said Prof Pan.
As buildings and housing estates here are built at a distance away from
the shoreline, Prof Pan added that there was little risk even for those
living near the beaches.
He said: "There isn't any perceivable risk from what I could see, with
a water height of 0.4m, plus, minus. It comes on shore over beaches of
10, 20, 30m. And our people and buildings are typically far away from
the beachline."
Should any of the beach areas near Singapore be at risk of a
tsunami, the NEA has developed a response plan to activate and
coordinate key agencies' responses. Alerts will be issued to the public
and beach areas will be evacuated.
- 938LIVE