Wastewater overflow in Bedok and Chai Chee due to choked sewer at BTO worksite: PUB
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The overflowing manhole in a Eunos neighbourhood was likely caused by a choke in an underground sewage pipe that links to a nearby BTO worksite.
PHOTO: PRITAM SINGH/FACEBOOK
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SINGAPORE – A choked sewer at a Build-To-Order (BTO) construction site caused wastewater to overflow in parts of Bedok Reservoir Road and Chai Chee on Aug 6, said national water agency PUB.
In a Facebook post on Aug 7, PUB said it had been alerted to used water overflow incidents on the morning of Aug 6 at two locations – the area around Blocks 619 and 623 Bedok Reservoir Road, and an industrial building at 502 Chai Chee Lane.
PUB traced the source of the overflow to two manholes located within a nearby BTO construction site, where a section of the affected sewer was found to be obstructed by sand and cement.
It added that work is under way to clear the obstruction.
In response to queries from The Straits Times, the Housing Board said it was alerted to the issue on Aug 6.
It added that construction activities at the BTO site have been temporarily paused to facilitate service recovery and investigations by PUB.
“There is currently no impact to the construction timeline of the BTO project,” HDB said.
To help resolve the discharge of water, HDB added that it is working with the BTO contractor and PUB to flush the sewage pipe in the area using additional tanker trucks, divert the water overflow to the other unaffected manholes, clean up the road and manage traffic in the area.
The wastewater discharge at Bedok Reservoir Road neighbourhood was first highlighted by Workers’ Party leader Pritam Singh in a Facebook post on Aug 6.
Mr Singh, an MP for Aljunied GRC, which includes the Eunos ward, said the Aljunied-Hougang Town Council had informed him that PUB was investigating the matter, focusing its efforts on a BTO construction site across the PIE, in East Coast GRC. The site is part of the Chai Chee Green project.
Following his house visits on the evening of Aug 6, Mr Singh said he visited the Chai Chee Green worksite and spoke to PUB officers and staff from LS Construction, the project’s main contractor.
Mr Singh said the teams had been working to vacuum out debris and were coordinating with the Housing Board to divert water to unaffected manholes.
Some of the construction workers were also deployed to help manage traffic in Eunos, he added, and he thanked them for their efforts.
To manage the situation, PUB said it deployed five tanker trucks to pump out used water and implemented measures to ease water flow during peak periods.
The agency said it will conduct a thorough investigation to determine how the obstruction occurred and will take enforcement action if necessary.
When The Straits Times visited the Bedok Reservoir Road neighbourhood at 10.40am on Aug 7, some wastewater was still seeping from the inspection chamber and there was a mild stench.
A close-up of the wastewater discharge between Block 619 and 623 at Bedok Reservoir Road on Aug 7.
ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO
Resident Choon Poh Choo, 94, said the smell did not stop her from going about her daily routine, which includes resting with a friend at the void deck near the site each morning.
Another resident, who declined to be named, said he saw people attending to the discharge at about 11.30pm on Aug 6.
A resident, who wanted to be known only as Madam Lee, said she noticed a foul smell wafting into her 11th-floor unit at around 6.30pm on Aug 6.
ST has contacted the Aljunied-Hougang Town Council and LS Construction for more information.
