PUB: No unusual discharge in blue water in Bukit Timah Canal
National water agency PUB is investigating the curious case of water in a canal near Newton that turned radiant baby blue on Jan 17, which was captured in a video that was shared on social media platform TikTok.
PUB officers who did an on-site assessment on the water along a stretch of the Bukit Timah Canal that runs between Keng Lee Road and Kampong Java Road “did not observe any traces of unusual discharge at the location or further upstream”, said PUB in a reply to The Straits Times’ queries.
“No abnormalities were detected in the water quality downstream of the canal or in Marina Reservoir,” it added.
Mr Melvin Lee, whose TikTok video of the water has been viewed over 56,000 times, told The Straits Times that he was struck by the change in the colour of the water as he works in the area “almost every day”.
The 34-year-old, who is self-employed, said: “Initially I thought it might have been from some event or festival-related colouring.”
Mr Lee added that he did not notice any unusual smell resulting from the change in colour of the water.
PUB said it is investigating the incident and added that it has reminded developers and contractors in the vicinity that it is illegal to dump substances into public drains.
Photos of the same drain taken on Jan 18 showed that the colour of the water has since returned to normal.
A similar phenomenon was observed in August 2023 at a drain in Toa Payoh, which had water coloured a milky shade of blue. Fish could also be seen swimming in the water at the time.
In another case, water in a canal in Jurong West turned crimson in 2015, alarming some residents. This was attributed by PUB to an organic solvent and dye in a perimeter drain.
The public can contact PUB on 1800-2255-782 to report any suspected pollution in Singapore’s waterways.
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