Singapore — Samwoh Corporation’s CEO has apologised for the unauthorised drainage works that caused massive floods at the Pasir Ris-Tampines traffic junction and stranded more than a dozen vehicles in August and made it necessary to rescue five from the flooding.
Samwoh’s CEO Eric Soh said, “On behalf of Samwoh, I sincerely apologise for the errors that led to the Incident and the inconvenience caused to residents and motorists in the vicinity.
“Samwoh management fully accepts the sentence imposed by the Court and is deeply humbled by this lapse in our standards.”
Videos and photos of the flooding at the junction of Pasir Ris Drive 12 circulated on social media on Aug 20. Water levels approached about a metre deep, stranding many vehicles.
News reports at the time said that a total of 13 vehicles were partially submerged and stuck at the junction. Calls for help assistance began coming in at around 7.40 in the morning, said the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).
Samwoh Corporation and its project manager were fined on Tuesday (Nov 30), after it was discovered that works Samwoh carried out between December 2020 and August 2021 were responsible for the flooding.
According to the Public Utilities Board, Singapore’s national water agency, the company built an unauthorised diversion drain along Tampines Avenue 10 which did not properly connect correctly with an existing drain.
This is why massive amounts of rainwater pooled at the junction on Aug 20 instead of draining properly, rising to trap cars, buses, and trucks and causing heavy traffic jams.
Samwoh was found guilty on three charges— altering a drain, obstructing the flow of a stormwater drainage system, and constructing drain openings without the necessary approval or clearance certificate. It was fined S$17,000.
Fong Woei Jiun who was then working as a project manager for Samwoh was fined S$7,500 after being convicted on one charge under the Sewerage and Drainage Act for failing to obtain a clearance certificate to do the construction work. /TISG
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