Tanjong Katong sinkhole: PUB says recovery efforts are 'progressing steadily', urges public to remain patient , Singapore News
In the meantime, efforts to ready the road for reopening are advancing steadily, with tests being conducted to check ground conditions, said national water agency PUB late on July 28.
PUB's director for water reclamation (network) Herman Ching told reporters that while recovery efforts are 'progressing steadily', safety still remains "a priority'.
Ching also confirmed that backfilling works - using liquified stabilised soil (LSS) - were completed this morning.
LSS is made of cement, soil, and water and is used to fill cavities in the soil. It also provides the strength needed for subsequent road construction works.
PUB, which is leading and coordinating recovery efforts, said that 'rigorous tests and scans' are currently deployed to 'detect underground cavities and verify ground stability".
These include the use of ground-penetrating radar (GPR), physical probes, and seismic scans.
PUB added that thorough assessments are conducted in consultation with the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) and the Land Transport Authority.
The agency also sought the public's continued patience and understanding as works continue round-the-clock to expedite recovery of the affected road.
[[nid:720693]] BCA to conduct independent investigation
Separately, BCA said they are commencing an independent investigation into the sinkhole incident.
'The investigation will examine the circumstances leading to the formation of the sinkhole, identify the root causes, and take the necessary actions against any non-compliance under the Building Control Act', said BCA in a statement to the media today.
BCA added that investigations could take months given the complexity of the incident and the need for geophysical tests.
[[nid:720685]]
editor@asiaone.com
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Paper
a day ago
- New Paper
'I want to help': Foreign workers rescued driver from Tanjong Katong Road sinkhole
Construction site foreman Pitchai Udaiyappan Subbiah and his colleagues were at a PUB worksite near the One Amber condominium when they heard a loud sound on the evening of July 26. They rushed out of the worksite to see a sinkhole in the middle of Tanjong Katong Road South, and a black car that had fallen in. To his surprise, he saw a woman coming out of the car. "There was one car, and one madam was inside the car. I was thinking, 'somebody has dropped inside, I want to help'," said Mr Subbiah, who recounted the rescue to reporters at an interview on July 27 near the scene of the incident. He gave instructions to three other workers to toss the woman some rope so they could pull her out. In all, the rescue effort took around three to five minutes, said Mr Subbiah, 46, who works for Ohin Construction, which was working on a sewerage project in the area. "One of my workers wanted to go down and help her, but I said they (won't be able to) climb out. So I told them to throw (her) the rope first," he said. The sinkhole had formed at around 5.50pm on July 26, according to national water agency PUB. It caused two lanes of the road to collapse, just adjacent to a PUB worksite. Residents had earlier told reporters that there was a burst water pipe at the same area the night before the sinkhole appeared. The sinkhole later filled with water, but it was dry when workers rescued the driver. Mr Subbiah said he and his colleagues acted on instinct to save the woman, which was why they moved quickly. "Someone had fallen in. We were just determined to save her as fast as possible. That was the goal," said Mr Subbiah in Tamil. The Tamil Nadu native has been working in Singapore for 22 years, and this is the first time he has been involved in such a rescue effort. He added that they asked the woman if there was anyone else in the car after they pulled her out, and she replied saying her IC and phone were inside. Mr Subbiah handed her his phone so she could call her daughter. "We saved a life… whatever happened, that is all that matters," he told the media in Tamil. Footage on social media also showed other workers quickly placing barricades next to the sinkhole. The driver was later taken to hospital by the Singapore Civil Defence Force. PUB said in a July 27 statement on Facebook that the woman is able to walk and undergoing further medical checks. On July 27, Mountbatten MP Gho Sze Kee, who visited the site in the morning, said the woman is in hospital for observation and that she has been experiencing muscular pain.
CNA
2 days ago
- CNA
Grace Fu apologises over Tanjong Katong sinkhole; ministry to convene independent panel
SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) will convene an independent panel to investigate the cause of the sinkhole that appeared along Tanjong Katong Road on Saturday (Jul 26). Speaking at the sinkhole site on Tuesday (Jul 29), Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu apologised for what she called a 'serious incident' that 'should not have happened'. 'On behalf of MSE and PUB, I would like to extend my apology, my sincere apology, to the injured driver for her injury suffered, as well as going through a harrowing experience, to the members of public as well as residents in the vicinity for causing anxiety and unease, and also to the motorists and commuters who have suffered inconveniences from the road closure and diversion,' she said. The independent panel will be made up of 'very experienced people in this area with various expertise', she said. National water agency PUB will fully cooperate with the Building and Construction Authority (BCA), she added. BCA said on Monday that it will start an independent investigation into the incident. The investigation will examine the circumstances leading to the formation of the sinkhole and identify the root causes. The agency said investigations could take several months. 'I think in this case, having two teams looking at it is helping us to find out more thoroughly and systematically what are the causes of this sinkhole,' she said, adding that the investigations will be of 'similar time frame' to BCA's. Asked if the emergence of the sinkhole could be linked to a burst water pipe that occurred the night before, Ms Fu said the public can be assured that they will look at all evidence made available to them. 'We will study, and report on the findings,' she added. Responding to residents' complaints of noise from repair works through the night, Ms Fu said that it was a 'fine trade off'. 'The more we stop work at night, we may not be able to conduct the ratification work as quickly as we like,' she said. 'We'll do our very best to mitigate (the noise) to its fullest, but I hope that the residents will also understand that we want to do this quickly to stabilise the situation so that public safety is protected.' On Monday night, PUB said it was testing the stability of the ground. The shaft was backfilled to stabilise the surrounding ground, and the sinkhole was filled with liquefied stabilised soil, the national water agency said. PUB added that it was conducting "rigorous tests and scans to detect underground cavities and verify ground stability" before continuing with repair works. The agency is also conducting thorough safety assessments in consultation with BCA and the Land Transport Authority before the road is reopened to the public. The sinkhole appeared along Tanjong Katong Road South on Saturday, causing a car to fall in. It was adjacent to a PUB worksite that involved the construction of a 16m-deep shaft, the agency said on Sunday night. A concrete component in the shaft, known as a cassion ring, had failed at around 5.50pm on Saturday, PUB said. It is not clear what contributed to the failure of the component. PUB has since called for a safety time-out to review sewer works similar to the incident site. The driver of the car was rescued by migrant workers working nearby and brought to Raffles Hospital. Seven migrant workers have since been presented with a Friends of ACE coin from the Ministry of Manpower for their efforts on Sunday evening.
AsiaOne
3 days ago
- AsiaOne
Tanjong Katong sinkhole: PUB says recovery efforts are 'progressing steadily', urges public to remain patient , Singapore News
Recovery efforts along Tanjong Katong South Road have now been underway for more than two days after a sinkhole formed there on Saturday (July 26). In the meantime, efforts to ready the road for reopening are advancing steadily, with tests being conducted to check ground conditions, said national water agency PUB late on July 28. PUB's director for water reclamation (network) Herman Ching told reporters that while recovery efforts are 'progressing steadily', safety still remains "a priority'. Ching also confirmed that backfilling works - using liquified stabilised soil (LSS) - were completed this morning. LSS is made of cement, soil, and water and is used to fill cavities in the soil. It also provides the strength needed for subsequent road construction works. PUB, which is leading and coordinating recovery efforts, said that 'rigorous tests and scans' are currently deployed to 'detect underground cavities and verify ground stability". These include the use of ground-penetrating radar (GPR), physical probes, and seismic scans. PUB added that thorough assessments are conducted in consultation with the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) and the Land Transport Authority. The agency also sought the public's continued patience and understanding as works continue round-the-clock to expedite recovery of the affected road. [[nid:720693]] BCA to conduct independent investigation Separately, BCA said they are commencing an independent investigation into the sinkhole incident. 'The investigation will examine the circumstances leading to the formation of the sinkhole, identify the root causes, and take the necessary actions against any non-compliance under the Building Control Act', said BCA in a statement to the media today. BCA added that investigations could take months given the complexity of the incident and the need for geophysical tests. [[nid:720685]] editor@
