Some plant nurseries damaged by bad weather
The recent spate of bad weather has cost a Seletar orchid nursery more than $10,000 due to the damage.
When The New Paper visited yesterday, the sight of ripped garden netting and toppled supports greeted us.
Mr Sam Goh, the sales and marketing manager at the 2ha nursery, said a third of the orchids were destroyed in the two-hour storm that started at around 4pm on Tuesday.
He said he could hear the sound of wood cracking interspersed with the rumbling of thunder. Soon, the poles holding the garden netting in place were toppled by the strong gusts of wind, he said.
The netting itself had several large holes, likely caused by hailstones, he said.
"They made a sound reminiscent of bullets when they landed," he said. Mr Goh headed home after the storm, as it was too dark to inspect the nursery.
He only realised the extent of the damage when he returned the next morning.
The Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) said thundery showers fell over many parts of Singapore between 3.30pm and 6pm on Tuesday.
The strongest recorded wind gust was 70.9kmh around 5pm at Sembawang, with the highest recorded 30-minute rainfall being 46.6mm in the northern part of the island. There were similar thundery showers on Wednesday as well.
RESTRUCTURING
Mr Goh, who asked his nursery not be named, said: "We will most likely have to stop selling orchids after restructuring. We are considering doing away with the netting and poles. These provide the necessary shade for orchids to grow. We can grow other types of plants instead."
Of the six other nurseries from various locations that we contacted, two said they suffered damaged. Both, like Mr Goh's nursery, are in the north.
At Hua Hng Trading in Yishun, managing director Chua King Wah said the wind destroyed flowers, broke pots and even bent trees inside the 2.4ha compound.
He estimated that the company lost around $10,000 due to the damage caused by the storm.
There will some respite as MSS said the first two weeks of the month are expected to be drier and warmer. - ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY AUDREY LEONG
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