Professional Engineer Ying Kee Yeow was fined $7,500 by national water agency PUB, for failing to properly supervise water service installation works, the agency said in a press release yesterday.

A Professional Engineer is someone registered under the Professional Engineers Board of Singapore who oversees the installation of water service infrastructure such as pumps and water tanks by licensed water service plumbers.

Ying faced five charges for flouting regulation 29(1)(b) of the Public Utilities (Water Supply) Regulations: failing to properly supervise the work undertaken on his behalf. He could have been fined up to $10,000, jailed up to 12 months, or both.

He was convicted on three charges, while the remaining two were considered during sentencing.

One charge was for an incident at a residential development in Geylang Lorong 24 in May last year, when PUB conducted inspections following the building management's feedback on unsatisfactory water service work. It found that the high-level water tanks were not properly secured.

"Water storage tanks must be properly installed and secured to ensure that the water conveyed through them is fit and safe for drinking at all times. If not properly installed and secured, it can be a potential source of contamination," PUB explained in the press release.

Another charge was for an incident at a residential development in Changi Road, where a routine site inspection in April last year revealed that the gate to the low-level water tank on the ground floor was not secured well enough to prevent unauthorised access.

The third charge involved work done at a commercial development in Changi Road in October last year. While attending to a building tenant's feedback on water supply disruption, PUB found the main valves located outside each unit, to control water flow, were installed in the wrong direction.

"PUB will not hesitate to take strict enforcement action against parties who do not comply with PUB's requirements and regulations," it said in the press release.

Anyone who notices such incidents can report to the building management, or call PUB's 24-hour call centre on 1800-2255-782, with the incident's location and any photos and videos that could help with investigations.