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Malay Mail
28-07-2025
- Automotive
- Malay Mail
‘Sinkholes don't form overnight': Singapore experts say warning signs often missed before Tanjong Katong collapse
SINGAPORE, July 28 — The sinkhole that appeared along Tanjong Katong Road South on July 26 likely did not form overnight, experts have said, following the collapse of two lanes which swallowed a car. Although the incident seemed sudden, geotechnical specialists explained that the erosion causing the void beneath the road likely began earlier, according to a report published in The Straits Times. 'Sinkholes cannot form suddenly. They need time for the surrounding soil to wash away, causing the cavity to get larger and larger,' said Associate Professor Wu Wei of Nanyang Technological University. 'This is happening underground, so we may not be aware of it,' said David Ng, executive director of One Smart and chairman of the civil and structural technical committee at the Institution of Engineers Singapore. Prof Wu said cracks may form on the road before a collapse, but these are not always visible, and ground settlement tends to accelerate before failure. Ng noted uneven roads, crack lines or water bubbling may signal underground issues, and pointed to images suggesting repairs could have been made recently. He said erosion could result from a leaking underground pipe or from excavation works disturbing surrounding soil. A prolonged leak, he said, may create a void 'large enough for the surface above to cave in', especially if pipe supports are washed away. The sinkhole was beside a sewerage worksite managed by national water agency PUB, and residents reported a burst water pipe the night before. Ng said sewerage projects include safety measures to minimise ground disturbance, such as the use of settlement markers to monitor movements. Prof Wu said ground-penetrating radar may have helped detect the cavity, though the technology is limited in depth and accuracy when water is present. He stressed the importance of more frequent ground monitoring, saying, 'If monitoring is strengthened, at least early warning can be given.' On July 26, a car was swallowed by a sinkhole along Tanjong Katong Road South, prompting road closures and water disruptions. A day later, it was lifted out using a crane and placed back on the road, Channel News Asia reported.
Straits Times
27-07-2025
- Automotive
- Straits Times
Tanjong Katong Road sinkhole did not happen overnight: Experts
Workers involve in recovery work at the site of the sinkhole at 5.30am along Tajong Katong Road South on July 27. SINGAPORE - The large sinkhole in Tanjong Katong Road South seemed to appear suddenly on the evening of July 26, swallowing a car and its unsuspecting driver as two lanes of the road collapsed into a large pit. But it was unlikely that the erosion of the soil beneath the road happened overnight, instead the collapse could have been the result of changes under the ground that happened much earlier, experts told The Straits Times. 'Sinkholes cannot form suddenly. They need time for the surrounding soil to wash away, causing the cavity to get larger and larger,' said Associate Professor Wu Wei, a geotechnical engineering expert at the Nanyang Technological University. Prof Wu said the rate of ground settlement accelerates before it collapses. Before that happens, cracks might appear on the road surface before it caves in, but these might not always be identifiable to the naked eye, he added. Mr David Ng, a professional engineer who is also the chairman of the civil and structural technical committee at the Institution of Engineers Singapore, said in some cases, it may be possible to spot the road being uneven, see crack lines on the road surfaces or water bubbling from the road surface. Referring to the images of the road before it collapsed, Mr Ng said the freshly laid tarmac may be signs that repairs might have been made recently to fix surface cracks or uneven ground because of soil settlement, although it may also because of other unrelated works. While Mr Ng said it was too early to know for sure what caused the collapse, he said the erosion could have been caused by a leaking old pipe underground or soil movement triggered by excavation works happening next to the road. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Car that fell into Tanjong Katong Road South sinkhole removed; road remains closed for repairs Singapore Workers used nylon rope to rescue driver of car that fell into Tanjong Katong Road sinkhole Asia Singapore-only car washes will get business licences revoked, says Johor govt Singapore Benchmark barrier: Six of her homeschooled kids had to retake the PSLE Sport Arsenal's new signing Viktor Gyokeres unveiled at National Stadium ahead of Newcastle game Singapore For Singapore to do well, PAP govt has to continue to hold its own: SM Lee Life Vet Talk: Pet owners and vets need to work together to prevent infectious zoonotic diseases Asia S'porean trainee doctor in Melbourne arrested for allegedly filming colleagues in toilets since 2021 In the case of leaking pipes, if it happens to be prolonged, it would create a void 'large enough for the surface above to cave in', he said. Meanwhile, excavation works can wash away materials supporting water pipes underground, he added. Left suspended without support underground, the water pipe may burst, leading to water gushing out and flushing away the materials under the surface, causing the road to cave. 'This is happening underground, so we may not be aware of it,' said Mr Ng, who is also the executive director of One Smart, an engineering company that works on geotechnical and infrastructure works, including sewerage projects with PUB. The sinkhole was located beside a worksite by national water agency PUB, where work was underway on a sewerage project. Residents had earlier told reporters that there was a burst water pipe at the same area the night before the sinkhole appeared. But Mr Ng pointed out that in sewerage projects, precautions against cave-ins are taken from the design phase of the project in order to minimise disturbance to the surroundings, ground movements and changes in ground pressure. Instruments like settlement markers, which are nails driven into the ground or concrete blocks in the vicinity of the works, are also used to monitor ground movements, he said. Prof Wu said more frequent use of ground penetration radar could possibly have detected the cavity below the road before it collapsed. Such equipment is typically used by engineers to examine the ground condition below the surface, including location of cabling and other infrastructure, he said. But Prof Wu also pointed out that there are limitations to such technology, including that they can only 'look' 3m to 5m under the surface, and is less accurate when water is present. He pointed out that key to preventing incidents like this is taking more frequent ground measurements and closer monitoring efforts. 'In this case, someone observed a burst water pipe one day before. If monitoring is strengthened, at least early warning can be given,' he said. This is not the first time a road has collapsed here. In November 2022, a PUB project caused a slip road leading from Holland Road and Commonwealth Road into Farrer Road to be closed for a week because tunnelling works caused a cave-in. There were no injuries reported. In the latest incident, the car driver, a woman, was rescued by workers and sent to the hospital by the Singapore Civil Defence Force.
South China Morning Post
18-06-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong to act as launching pad for Chinese companies' global push in pact with Shanghai
Mainland Chinese companies will use Hong Kong's capital market as the launching pad for their global growth, according to an action plan signed on Wednesday with Shanghai to connect the premier onshore commercial city with the nation's offshore financial hub. Advertisement The two cities will expand the decade-old Connect programme linking the stock markets of Shanghai and Hong Kong with more equities, bonds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and gold, as well as working on cross-border settlements and uses of the digital yuan, according to the agreement signed at the annual Lujiazui Forum in Shanghai. 'Shanghai and Hong Kong are both international financial centres and have always played an important role in the country's financial reforms,' Hong Kong's Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said after signing the plan with Shanghai's executive vice mayor Wu Wei. 'The plan further clarifies the specific direction of cooperation between Shanghai and Hong Kong, and injects new and richer content into the multilevel and multi-field financial cooperation between the two cities. It is a new measure to deepen connectivity, and it highlights support to the 'go global' drive by mainland companies.' This was the first agreement signed since the annual forum began in Shanghai's financial zone in 2008. The opening session, featuring speeches by the governor of the People's Bank of China and the chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission , is considered an important platform for Beijing to unveil market liberalisations or signal policy directions. Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan (second from left) and Shanghai's executive vice-mayor Wu Wei (second from right) after signing an accord to deepen financial collaboration between the two cities on June 18, 2025. Photo: Daniel Ren Christopher Hui Ching-yu, Hong Kong's secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, was expected to participate in a closed-door meeting on Wednesday evening, during which details of operating guidelines would be discussed, according to two local officials familiar with the matter. Advertisement 'Facing the complicated geopolitical situations and volatile markets, Shanghai and Hong Kong need to join hands to strengthen their markets and to capture the opportunities,' Chan said.
New York Times
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Corrections: June 12, 2025
An article on Wednesday about the Ojai Music Festival in California misidentified the piece by Susie Ibarra that featured the sheng player Wu Wei. It was 'Nest Box,' not 'Sky Islands.' Errors are corrected during the press run whenever possible, so some errors noted here may not have appeared in all editions. To contact the newsroom regarding correction requests, please email nytnews@ To share feedback, please visit Comments on opinion articles may be emailed to letters@ For newspaper delivery questions: 1-800-NYTIMES (1-800-698-4637) or email customercare@
Borneo Post
30-04-2025
- Automotive
- Borneo Post
China's zero-carbon industrial parks light way to greener future
Photo shows a charging station powered by the solar array at an industrial park in Liyang, a county-level city under Changzhou in east China's Jiangsu Province on April 17, 2025. – Xinhua photo NANJING (May 1): Along a nearly-500-meter asphalt road shaded by a glimmering canopy of photovoltaic panels, new energy vehicles travel back and forth. Some pull over at the roadside charging station powered by the solar array. This eco-friendly scene, especially fitting on April 22, the 56th Earth Day, is part of a broader zero-carbon initiative at a 100-hectare industrial park in Liyang, a county-level city under Changzhou in east China's Jiangsu Province. Since beginning operations in June last year, the park has installed around 77,000 square meters of photovoltaic panels, generating 5.2 million kilowatt-hours of green electricity annually. To achieve net-zero carbon emissions, the park is diversifying its clean energy sources to include wind and hydro power, according to Li Jie, general manager of State Grid Liyang Electric Vehicle Service Company, one of the park's key developers. Carbon-free industrial parks aim to achieve zero carbon emissions by integrating clean energy, green architecture, smart management systems and circular economy practices. China's Central Economic Work Conference, which outlined the national priorities for 2025, called for ramped-up efforts to promote a green transition across all sectors, including the establishment of a group of zero-carbon industrial parks. According to Wu Wei, an associate professor at the China Institute for Studies in Energy Policy at Xiamen University, such parks not only drive low-carbon development but also enhance enterprises' innovation capability, energy efficiency and informatisation level, serving as a key engine for China's high-quality economic growth. Zero-carbon practices power ahead According to the city's action plan, Changzhou aims to build more than 10 near-zero-carbon parks and more than 15 near-zero-carbon factories from 2024 to 2026. Among the pioneers in this plan is Nari-Relays Electric (NR Electric), a local power electronics company. By leveraging AI and cloud computing to monitor and optimise energy use in real time — from water and electricity consumption to photovoltaic output and environmental conditions — the company has cut over 21,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions and saved nearly 7,300 tonnes of standard coal since 2023. Thanks to these efforts, the cost reduction and efficiency improvement have saved NR Electric nearly 20 million yuan (about US$2.77 million), according to the company. As microgrids are a cornerstone of zero-carbon parks' operation, Changzhou has completed 39 microgrid projects with a total investment of 1.18 billion yuan and plans to construct more such projects in the coming years. An aerial drone photo taken on March 16, 2025 shows the photovoltaic devices on the roof of the BFA International Conference Center and a BFA hotel in the Boao zero-carbon demonstration zone in Boao, south China's Hainan Province. – Xinhua photo Beyond Changzhou, moves to go carbon-free are gaining momentum across China. In 2022, Shanghai released an action plan for a zero-carbon demonstration park in its Minhang District. In 2024, a plan was unveiled to build a zero-carbon park in Beijing's Daxing District. Provinces and regions like Guangxi, Yunnan and Fujian have included zero-carbon park construction in their 2025 government work reports. China has pledged to peak carbon emissions by 2030 and reach carbon neutrality by 2060. With the advancement of the dual carbon goals, it is expected to see a surge in zero-carbon parks in 2025, said Ding Hong, vice president of Jiangsu's provincial society of the urban economy. 'Advances in distributed solar photovoltaics, energy storage and smart energy management platforms will significantly lower costs of zero-carbon parks' construction and operation, and profoundly change China's energy utilization mode,' Ding said. Low-carbon innovations go global In Jiangsu's Suzhou Industrial Park, a joint China-Singapore zero-energy building fitted with rooftop photovoltaic panels, small wind turbines and an AI-controlled lighting and climate system showcases the possibilities of future urban architecture. Built using sustainable materials, the structure is part of the China-Singapore Green Digital Hub, a 6.7-billion-yuan project launched last November to boost green industries and emerging services. According to Li Wenjie, deputy director of the institute of urban development at Suzhou Industrial Park, the zero-energy building has been certified by standards organisations in both the United States and Singapore. 'This highlights that China's carbon reduction technologies have gained worldwide recognition,' he noted. Photo taken on July 13, 2024 shows a joint China-Singapore zero-energy building in Suzhou Industrial Park in Suzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province. – Xinhua photo China's green technologies are now reaching global markets. NR Electric, for example, has provided energy storage solutions to over 30 countries, including Britain, Japan and Saudi Arabia. At Britain's Richborough Energy Park, its technology has helped reduce carbon emissions by over 10,000 tonnes — the greatest reduction among all battery energy-storage projects in the country in 2024. Currently, China is collaborating on green energy projects with over 100 countries and regions. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency, the average global cost per megawatt-hour for wind power has plummeted over the last decade by over 60 per cent, and by 80 per cent for solar power. China has made remarkable progress in its green transition and technologies, said Erik Berglof, chief economist at the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, during this year's Boao Forum for Asia held in late March. He noted that its journey offers a blueprint for sustainable development that other countries can follow. – Xinhua China green industrial parks sustainable Xinhua zero-carbon
