ECRL a boon for flood mitigation

WHILE there are some opposition leaders who described the East Coast Rail link (ECRL) as a project that would sell off our country’s interest and be a burden on our next generation, I see it as one that would not only bring business prosperity and job opportunities to the less developed east coast but also an opportunity to upgrade our flood mitigation programme.

One of the effective ways to reduce exposure of people to floods in the east coast is to relocate them to higher ground. But flood mitigation programmes through relocation of people can only be successful if new accommodation, business, job and education opportunities are available for the affected group.