Two contractors fined for silty discharge at construction sites
Two local contractors were fined for discharging silt into the drainage system and for not properly managing exposed earth materials at their construction sites.
Chye Joo Construction was fined $30,300 while The Builders (Hup Huat) was fined $14,400.
In a press release yesterday, PUB said the offences were uncovered between October and December last year during the national water agency's inspections of construction sites and investigations stemming from public feedback.
Chye Joo had built undersized silty water treatment plants and holding ponds in two worksites at Jalan Gali Batu, off Woodlands Road, and Jurong Road, causing silty water to enter roadside drains and waterways.
At Jalan Gali Batu, Chye Joo discharged silty water containing total suspended solids in a concentration of almost 400 times higher than the allowable limit into the public drainage system.
At another worksite at North Buona Vista Drive, silt had built up within Chye Joo's onsite treatment plant, causing the plant to overload and discharge silty water into a public drain.
The Builders was fined for flouting earth control measures at its Tampines Avenue 5 and Fernvale Street worksites. It had failed to implement the measures according to approved plans, which included an adequate silty water treatment plant and the construction of cut-off drains to contain silty water within the site.
There were also no closed-circuit television cameras monitoring the water quality of the discharge before it entered the public drainage system.
PUB said silty water is generated when rainwater runoff mixes with exposed earth materials and soil in construction sites.
All contractors must plan and implement earth control measures at construction sites to contain and treat silty water before discharging it into public drains.
In the last three years, PUB has taken action against about 100 contractors each year for failing to comply with such requirements.
The public can report sightings of silty discharge or pollution in drains and canals to PUB's 24-hour Call Centre at 1800-CALL-PUB (1800-2255-782).
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