Tanjong Katong sinkhole: PUB to call for safety time-out to review sewer works similar to incident site
It added that the shaft has been backfilled to stabilise the surrounding ground, and as a precautionary measure, PUB will call for a time-out to review and ensure the safety of similar sewer construction works across Singapore.
Giving an update on Saturday's incident late on Sunday, PUB said that the sinkhole has been filled with liquefied stabilised soil to further stabilise the area, after which road reinstatement works will commence.
PUB also provided a sequence of the events on Saturday. It said that at around 5.50pm, a caisson ring in the shaft under construction at the PUB worksite "was observed to have failed".
"It is still not clear what contributed to this failure."
At around the same time, a sinkhole formed on the adjacent Tanjong Katong Road South, causing a vehicle to fall in.
The female driver was rescued by workers and taken conscious to Raffles Hospital.
Tanjong Katong Road South between Mountbatten Road and East Coast Parkway (ECP) will be closed until further notice for repairs, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said on Sunday.
Bus services 36 and 48 have been diverted.
The sinkhole is about 2m to 3m deep and as wide as two lanes of the road.
PUB began pumping water out of the sinkhole from 9:45am, and this was completed by 1:20pm. The vehicle that had fallen into the sinkhole was retrieved at 2:00pm.
PUB said it is working closely with Building and Construction Authority (BCA) and Land Transport Authority (LTA) closely to oversee the repair efforts and to investigate what contributed to the sinkhole incident.
It added that it is still analysing the results of a ground-penetrating radar (GPR) scan that was carried out to assess the surrounding area.
"Engineers from BCA have checked and affirmed that nearby structures, including One Amber condominium and the landed homes across the road, are not affected by the incident," said PUB.
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