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  The New Paper 3 May 07
Do your bit to fight pollution

The New Paper 3 May 07
Paint taints river

JUST last month, Sungei Api Api was lauded as the poster child of a riverscape makeover by the Public Utilities Board (PUB).
By Teh Jen Lee

JUST last month, Sungei Api Api was lauded as the poster child of a riverscape makeover by the Public Utilities Board (PUB).

PUB, which is the national water agency, had pumped in millions to turn the concrete canal in Pasir Ris into a luscious mangrove-lined river under its Active Beautiful Clean Waters programme.

But the newly-beautified canal was recently spoilt when a contractor thoughtlessly dumped white paint into one of its connecting drains.

The pollution caught the eye of botanist Wang Luan Keng, who was on the bridge intersecting the river at Pasir Ris Drive 3. Ms Wang, who is in her 30s, said: 'The white discharge looked like paint and there was also a layer of oil on the water.'

She took a picture on her handphone and sent it to The New Paper last Wednesday. When The New Paper team went to the river the same day, milky-white water was still running into the river from a small open drain.

It was an obvious contrast to the brown river bed, but there was no smell detected.

CLOUDY

According to some residents, it is not the first time that the river has been tainted. A resident who gave her name only as MissSeah, said: 'Sometimes there's a blue-green colour in the water or it can be cloudy. 'I wonder if people are dumping things into the river.

Another passer-by, building manager Adrian Toh, said of the oily white discharge: 'It's definitely not milk because who would dump so much of it?

'I know about paints through my work. When diluted in water, it looks like that,' Mr Toh, 35, said. He added that this was the first time he has seen such a thing happen in the canal since he moved into the area seven years ago.

He pointed out that unlike acrylic paints, emulsion paints have no smell, and he suspected the paint could have come from nearby painting works.

'I am concerned because people catch fish and crabs here. When they eat their catch, they may ingest toxins as well,' he said.

As it turns out, Mr Toh was right.

The New Paper checked out a construction site at Block 500A Pasir Ris Street 52, about 100m from the river. There, we found a grill drain cover that was splattered with different coloured paints.

PAINT STILL WET

The most recent layer of paint was cream-coloured and still wet. A truck belonging to the town council contractor was parked nearby, with its back full of large paint cans.

We called the PUB. It has confirmed, along with the National Environment Agency (NEA), that there was indeed paint in the river. (See report below).

It is not known how long the illegal dumping has been going on. When we called the phone number listed on the truck, the director of the town council contractor said that it was possible that his workers didn't follow proper instructions for safe disposal of paint.

Mr Chua Tian Leong said: 'For washing of paint, they are to use water in 200-litre drums. 'These are then collected and sent for treatment. I have told my on-site manager to check what they are doing.'

YOU CAN HELP OUR EARTH

Saw something or someone harming the environment but don't know what to do? Alert reporter Teh Jen Lee at jenlee@sph.com.sg

She graduated from University of California at Berkeley with honours in conservation and resource studies and has written extensively on local environmental issues. Jen Lee was also the runner-up for the Best Local Journalist Award at the Society of Publishers in Asia (Sopa) awards in 2005.

The New Paper 3 May 07
Do your bit to fight pollution

THE PUB thanked The New Paper for the tip-off on the white paint seen in Sungei Api Api on 25 April and has cleaned it up.
By Teh Jen Lee

THE PUB thanked The New Paper for the tip-off on the white paint seen in Sungei Api Api on 25 April and has cleaned it up.

Mr Yap Kheng Guan, director for PUB's 3P network, and Mr Tan Quee Hong, acting director for NEA's pollution control department, wrote to us saying: 'We hope there will be more people like your reporter Teh Jen Lee who cherish our water resources and do their part to ensure it is kept clean and free of pollution.'

Upon receiving the tip-off, PUB and NEA officers immediately visited the site to investigate. It said: 'The dirty water containing paint was discharged into the canal by a town council contractor who was carrying out painting works at the nearby HDB flats.

'PUB and NEA take a serious view towards such illegal discharges into drains and canals. 'NEA will be prosecuting the contractor in court. If convicted, the contractor may be fined up to $5,000.'

PUB cleaned up Sungei Api Api by 3pm on the day they received the tip-off. Oil-absorbent pads were placed on the water surface to remove oil. The dirty water was also sucked out using a hose connected to a tanker and sent to a water reclamation plant. The operation took about two hours.

Ms Wang Luan Keng, who first spotted the pollution, said: 'I was concerned about the mangroves. Hope they were not too affected.'

PUB and NEA will continue to monitor the site. They encourage the public to report any cases of illegal discharge or dumping in Singapore's water resources.

The public may contact these 24-hour hotlines: PUB-One on 1800-2846 600 or NEA Call Centre on 1800-CALL NEA (1800-2255 632).
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