Singapore, 8 November 2024 – Proper Earth Control Measures (ECM) are essential in ensuring our extensive drainage system1 operates efficiently to prevent floods and to keep our waterways clean and beautiful. Given that two-thirds of Singapore’s land area is water catchment, it is important for construction sites to comply with ECM requirements to prevent silty discharge from flowing into our waterways and reservoirs.
2 When rainwater mixes with exposed earth materials and soil at construction sites, it creates silty water. Untreated silty water entering our drains and canals would lead to silt accumulation over time, which reduces the effectiveness in channelling stormwater flow. This can increase the risk of flash floods during heavy rain.
3 ECM requirements are stipulated under PUB’s Code of Practice on Surface Water Drainage. Contractors are required to plan and implement adequate ECM at construction sites (refer to Annex A) to contain and treat silty water before discharging it into the public drains. Before the commencement of earthworks, contractors must engage a Qualified Erosion Control Professional2 (QECP) to design a comprehensive ECM plan for PUB’s approval.
4 Financial penalties and stop work orders may be imposed by PUB on errant contractors. Under the Sewerage and Drainage Act, offenders are liable for prosecution and may be fined up to $50,000. In the past three years, PUB has taken enforcement action against 226 contractors – of which around half are repeat offenders – for failing to comply with ECM requirements.
Collaborative approach to enhance ECM best practices
5 PUB works closely with industry partners, contractors and our stakeholders to build industry competencies and establish high ECM standards. We conduct regular industry engagement sessions to raise awareness and promote ECM best practices, and to facilitate capability building amongst trained ECM Officers (ECMOs).
6 This year, the Institute of Engineers, Singapore (IES) and the Association of Consulting Engineers (ACES) will jointly present the inaugural ECM Project Award. IES and ACES have introduced this new award to honour projects that demonstrate exceptional ECM standards through the teamwork of QECPs, ECMOs, contractors, and developers. Through this award, IES and ACES hope to inspire and engender industry-wide commitment to protecting our environment and waterways.
7 Thirty-four nominations were received from the construction industry and evaluated based on the design, implementation and maintenance of ECM at their respective worksites. A total of 3 projects (refer to Annex B) will receive the inaugural ECM Project Award at the annual ECM Night on 8 November, serving as a good role model for industry best practices.
Leveraging technology and conducting regular checks
8 To ensure compliance with the Code of Practice, PUB regularly inspects construction sites to ensure proper ECM implementation. In addition, all construction sites of 0.2 hectares and above are required to install CCTVs to monitor the treated water discharge into public drains. The visual feed from the CCTVs is analysed in real-time with automatic alerts to relevant parties, including the Project Manager or the ECMO, enabling prompt action if silty discharge is detected. Furthermore, PUB encourages the installation of treatment systems with an auto-intervention feature that stops operations when the treated water discharge exceeds the limit of 50 milligrams per litre (mg/L) of Total Suspended Solids (TSS). This feature is available in the market and has proven effective at several work sites. It lessens the need for manual monitoring and helps prevent silty discharge into public drains. PUB continually reviews the available technologies related to ECM and will incorporate them as part of ECM requirements for implementation where applicable.
9 With the upcoming Northeast Monsoon from December 2024 to March 2025 which typically brings more frequent and intense rainfall, PUB will be increasing the frequency of inspections at construction sites to ensure compliance with our ECM requirements. The public can report sightings of silty discharge in drains and canals to PUB’s 24-hour Call Centre at 1800-CALL-PUB (1800-2255-782) and provide details of the location and any accompanying photos and videos.
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Footnotes:
[1] Singapore’s drainage network, which conveys rainwater to our 17 freshwater reservoirs, consists of over 8,000km of drains, canals and rivers.
[2] A Qualified Erosion Control Professional is a professional engineer registered under the Institute of Engineers, Singapore and engaged by developers/contractors of a development to design and check the implementation of ECM at construction sites.
