PUB responds to incident of Kallang River turning muddy colour after rain

A heavy downpour on Saturday (April 7) washed mud and silt into the Kallang basin, turning the water yellow.

Stomper Winston and Kenneth, who spotted the phenomenon, took videos and photos which they submitted to Stomp.

Said Winston: "I spotted the river turning yellow after a heavy rain at 5.45pm.

"Not sure where the colour came from."

Kenneth also took a video of the strange sight.

In response to a Stomp query, a Public Utilities Board (PUB) spokesman explained that during storms, mud and silt may be washed into the drains and canals, giving the water a yellowish colour.

Said the spokesman: "Besides such overland flow, silt from excavation works at nearby construction sites may also be washed down into the drains if there are inadequate Earth Control Measures (ECM) by the contractors, or if the storms are too heavy.

"PUB is conducting checks on a few construction sites upstream of the Bukit Timah 2nd Diversion Canal to determine the adequacy of their ECM measures and to check CCTV images of discharge from their sites.

"Our inspection found that there was silty discharge from one of the construction sites upstream of the canal. PUB is investigating further with a view to taking enforcement action.

"It is important that all construction sites comply with ECM requirements to prevent silty discharge from flowing into our waterways.

"PUB will not hesitate to take strict enforcement action against silty discharge into waterways. Offenders can be fined up to $5,000 for each offence of silty water discharge, and up to $50,000 for inadequate ECM."