SINGAPORE, July 28 (Bernama) — Singapore’s national water agency PUB will implement a safety time-out to review and reinforce safety measures at sewer construction sites nationwide, following a sinkhole incident near one of its worksites last Saturday.
The agency said the site of the sinkhole is adjacent to an active PUB construction site along Tanjong Katong Road South, where sewer-laying works are ongoing.
The works involve the construction of a 16-metre-deep shaft to connect three existing sewer lines.
PUB said that at around 5.50 pm on July 26, a caisson ring (a precast, reinforced concrete component used in the construction of shafts) was observed to have failed.
“At around the same time, a sinkhole formed on the adjacent road.
“It is still not clear what contributed to this failure.
“The sinkhole has been filled with liquefied stabilised soil to further stabilise the area, after which road reinstatement works will commence,” PUB posted on Facebook on Sunday night.
The shaft has since been backfilled to strengthen the surrounding ground.
“A ground-penetrating radar scan and analysis are still being carried out to assess the surrounding area,” it said.
PUB reassured that engineers from the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) have inspected and affirmed that nearby structures, including residences, are not affected by the sinkhole.
In the incident, a woman was taken to hospital after the car she was driving fell into the sinkhole.
The victim managed to exit the vehicle on her own and was brought to safety with the assistance of workers at the site.
— BERNAMA