Certis Cisco officers pour confiscated alcohol into drain: Is this the way to do it?

Singapore — A video of Certis Cisco auxiliary police officers pouring alcohol confiscated from foreign workers into a drain is circulating online, making members of the public concerned if this is the proper way to dispose of it.

The incident was uploaded by Facebook page Singapore Road Accident on Thursday (Sept 17) and was quickly shared across other platforms.

The video shows three uniformed officers emptying bottles and cans of alcohol into a ground drain. They are wearing gloves, face masks and face shields. Bottles and cans of alcoholic beverage can be seen in the background.

According to a mothership.sg report, the incident took place at the Tuas View Dormitory where Certis CISCO officers are deployed. The company confirmed it was aware of the incident and was looking into the matter. “We take a serious view of this incident and are conducting further investigations,” said a company representative.

Meanwhile, members from the online community expressed their concern about alcoholic substances being disposed of in such a manner.

Others noted that pouring chemical liquids into a main drain could lead to the contamination of water.

Meanwhile, Facebook user Zack Ziqkrul quoted the Sewerage and Drainage (Trade Effluent) Regulations wherein discharging trade effluent into a public sewer was considered an offence. The PUB defines trade effluents as “any liquid including particles of matter and other substances in suspension in the liquid, which is the outflow from any trade, business or manufacture or of any works of engineering or building construction.”

Alcoholic beverages are not listed as one of the substances which can be disposed of with an imposed limit and consent from the PUB. However, there is a clause that any trade effluent discharged into a public sewer should not contain any “petroleum spirit or other inflammable substances”.

A netizen tagged the National Environment Agency (NEA) and PUB to confirm if this was allowed.