New Pumping Station with Underground Tank to Prevent Floods in Jalan Besar

Storm water will be diverted from upstream of Rochor Canal and released downstream

- Chin Hui Shan

The low-lying Jalan Besar area and parts of Little India are now better protected against floods with the completion of a new pumping station with an underground tank along Syed Alwi Road.

Located next to Rochor Canal, the Syed Alwi Pumping Station is designed to divert storm water from the upstream of Rochor Canal into an underground tank.

The water is then pumped out of the tank—which is able to hold about 9,300 cubic m of water, or about the total capacity of four Olympic-size pools—into a downstream section of Rochor Canal during and after storms.

This ensures that storm drains, which collect rainwater run-off from the Jalan Besar area, are not overwhelmed during intense rain when the water level in the canal is high.

The completion of the underground tank was announced by Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu in a recorded address at the 2025 Singapore International Water Week Spotlight conference on June 23.

"As ground raising is not possible in (Jalan Besar), the dual-purpose storage and pumping station was conceptualised as an alternative solution to enhance flood resilience," she said in the video, which was aired at the event held at the Singapore Expo.