Clementi landslide: More parts of Ulu Pandan Park Connector to reopen; flood risks remain

Recovery work being done in Ulu Pandan Canal on Sept 5, 2022. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
A 3.5m-wide channel has been created and several pumps have been deployed to improve water flow in the canal. ST PHOTO: JOYCE FANG

SINGAPORE - More parts of the Ulu Pandan Park Connector downstream from the area of a landslide at a Clementi Build-To-Order site will reopen on Saturday.

The segments, from Boon Lay Way and Ayer Rajah Expressway to the Commonwealth Avenue West flyover, were closed after part of the Clementi NorthArc construction site collapsed last Friday, injuring a passer-by, damaging parts of the park connector and displacing soil into the Sungei Ulu Pandan canal.

Giving this update on Thursday, the Housing Board said in a Facebook post that the flood risks to the park connector and areas immediately upstream of the site remain, especially during heavy rain, as the canal has yet to be repaired.

So far, HDB and the contractor, Chiu Teng Construction, have created a 3.5m-wide channel and deployed several pumps to improve water flow in the canal.

On Sunday, the National Parks Board (NParks) also reopened the stretch of the park connector from Clementi Road to Commonwealth Avenue West, near Ghim Moh Road.

Following the completion of immediate measures to stabilise the slope and reduce the risks of flooding, HDB plans to install sheet piles along the affected stretch of the park connector to reinforce and further stabilise the slope.

"This helps to create a barrier for the safe removal of the displaced earth in the canal. The sheet piling works are expected to start this weekend and will take at least a month to complete," said HDB.

The stretch of the park connector upstream from the incident site to Clementi Road will remain closed for safety reasons, due to ongoing and planned recovery works, and potential flood risks, it added.

In the meantime, NParks will work with national water agency PUB to monitor the rain forecast and water level in the canal, and will temporarily close the park connector when necessary, it said.

As reported earlier on Sunday, HDB said extensive works to repair the slope and construction site are expected to take a few months.

It said this involves fully restoring the canal, reinstating the damaged part of the park connector, and reconstructing the slope and retaining walls within the construction site.

"Even as recovery works are being carried out, we will continue to closely monitor the structural safety of nearby buildings," it said.

Last Friday, HDB said in a Facebook post that flat buyers of the affected Build-To-Order project will be updated should there be any changes to the completion date of their flats.

The project was launched in February 2017 with an estimated completion date in the second half of this year, but it has been hit by several delays.

For updates on the Ulu Pandan Park Connector, go to go.gov.sg/ulupandanpcupdate and safedistparks.nparks.gov.sg

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