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CNA
12 hours ago
- General
- 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.
CNA
17 hours ago
- Climate
- CNA
Tanjong Katong sinkhole filled; PUB to test ground stability
Scroll up for the next video X Tanjong Katong sinkhole filled; PUB to test ground stability
CNA
a day ago
- Climate
- CNA
Tanjong Katong sinkhole: PUB to test ground stability, BCA to conduct independent investigation
The Building and Construction Authority is conducting an independent investigation into the Tanjong Katong sinkhole on Saturday. It will include soil and rock analysis, and could take several months to complete. The ground situation at the incident site has been stabilised, after PUB refilled the sinkhole using liquefied stabilised soil material. Authorities are doing further checks for other sinkholes, using radars and probes to hunt for empty spaces underground that could cause the ground above to cave in. Sabrina Ng reports.
AsiaOne
a day ago
- General
- 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@
CNA
a day ago
- Climate
- CNA
PUB moves to test ground stability at Tanjong Katong sinkhole after filling cavity
SINGAPORE: PUB has moved on to testing the stability of the ground after the sinkhole on Tanjong Katong Road South was filled on Monday (Jul 28). The sinkhole was filled with liquefied stabilised soil, which is a mixture of soil, water and cement commonly used to fill underground voids, the national water agency said in an update. When poured into the sinkhole, liquefied stabilised soil flows into and fills the cavity, forming a "competent soil-like material" in hours, said Mr Herman Ching, a PUB water reclamation department director. This material does not require any mechanical compaction, reducing the time required for works, PUB added. The agency said it was conducting "rigorous tests and scans to detect underground cavities and verify ground stability" before continuing with repair works. It provided details on the three methods it is using to carry out these checks. First, it is scanning the area with ground-penetrating radar, which uses radio waves to assess subsurface layers for voids and other anomalies. It is also carrying out ground probing, which involves drilling a metal rod into the ground to a depth of 20m, to test the condition of the ground and detect if there are any voids. On Monday night, members of the media were able to observe the ground probing in a visit to the worksite facilited by PUB. Finally, it is conducting seismic scanning to record sound waves underground over a period of time to identify any anomalies that might indicate voids. Seismic scanning provides a profile of the ground to a greater depth than the ground-penetrating radar, said Mr Ching. "Collectively, these three methods will give us a good (sense) of the competency of the ground in this area, and to ensure that the ground is good for road construction," he said. PUB also said it was conducting thorough safety assessments in consultation with the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) and Land Transport Authority before the road would be reopened to the public. It added that it was "working round-the-clock to expedite the recovery of the road" and apologised for the inconvenience to residents and motorists caused by the road's closure. The sinkhole appeared on Saturday next to a PUB worksite along Tanjong Katong Road South where sewer-laying works were being done. A 16m-deep shaft connecting three sewer lines was being constructed at the site. A concrete component in the shaft, called a caisson ring, failed at around 5.50pm on Saturday, PUB earlier said. Around the same time, two lanes of the road collapsed, and a car fell into the sinkhole. The driver was rescued by migrant workers and taken conscious to the hospital. Earlier on Monday, the BCA said that backfilling of the sinkhole and shaft had been completed, which stabilised the site. Buildings adjacent to the sinkhole remained safe, it said. BCA also said it would start an independent investigation to identify the root causes of the incident, which could take months. PUB previously said it would call a time-out to review and ensure the safety of similar sewer construction works. The night before the sinkhole appeared, some residents reported seeing water gushing from what appeared to be a burst water pipe at nearby Mountbatten Road and Jalan Seaview. On Monday, a resident told CNA that the floor tiles on the front porch of her house along Mountbatten Road had cracked the day before the sinkhole opened. The resident, who did not want to be named, said that the family discovered the damaged tiles upon returning from work at about 8pm on Friday. She said they alerted the authorities, and BCA had come to the house to conduct checks. The tiles were installed when they moved in 13 years ago, and this was the first time they had sustained such damage, added the resident. While the damaged tiles look "ugly", she said she was not concerned about the structural stability of her home.
