A video shared by a netizen led the Public Utilities Board (PUB) and the National Environment Agency to investigate the black discharge clouding the water in the canal at Potong Pasir Avenue 1, Blk 114.
On his Facebook page, Adam Teeoo posted a video and a photo of the black discharge, together with a photo of a construction site with a Lian Beng Group Crane seen just nearby the canal.
https://www.facebook.com/adam.teo/posts/10155772829365653
The national water agency assured that “PUB officers and contractors went down to investigate immediately.”
However, there was no discharge found at the site when the officers arrived. It might have been diluted with water in the canal, PUB said.
Water samples from the canal were taken to further check on it.
According to the PUB spokesman, “Online water quality sensors and in-situ water quality readings showed that water quality is within the normal range.”
“We will continue to closely monitor water quality over the next few days,” he added.
NEA said that they too were aware of the matter and that they were investigating too.
The visibility of a construction site for a condominium adjacent to the canal was one of the factors that need to be looked into.
Potong Pasir canal leads to Kallang River.
Ted Ng, who originally took the photos and was in the area to take pictures of wildlife, said that he had seen the black discharge polluting the canal for two times, around 9.30am, and the second time between 10.30am and 11 am.
Ng also said that he was concerned that birds, fish, and otters in the area would be affected.
Lian Beng Group has not given its official statement yet regarding what happened.
The post was also shared to the Nature Society (Singapore) Facebook page.
This environmental incident alarmed the public with some netizens sharing their perspective and speculation on what the black discharge was and where it came from.
Some of the online public were irked by the PUB’s claim that the water quality is of a normal range.
