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Minister Yaacob Ibrahim | | | | | | | SINGAPORE : The PUB is launching its Sewer Rehabilitation Programme to encourage private property owners to check and repair old leaky sewers.
The programme was announced at the completion ceremony of the pumping station at Changi Water Reclamation Plant.
These days, Singapore's reservoirs not only quench the population's water needs, but also serve recreational purposes - so it is important to keep them clean by keeping out pollutants.
One way is to fix old leaky sewers that are no longer functioning properly.
The PUB's Sewers Rehabilitation Programme will provide free checks on private sewers and advise owners on what needs to be done.
Under the Sewerage and Drainage Act, property owners are legally obliged to ensure that the sewers are in good order.
Said Environment and Water Resources Minister Yaacob Ibrahim, "For a start, these efforts will be focused at developments which are more than 10 years old and located within the highly urbanised Marina Catchment. Should repairs be needed, PUB will help to defray part of the cost. PUB will also offer financial assistance in the form of allowing owners to pay through monthly installments if they engage PUB for the rectification works."
Tan Yok Gin, director (Policy & Planning Department), PUB, said, "For landed premises we expect them to cost maybe about S$2,000 and for high-rise buildings, it may cost around S$20,000. These are just estimates. We will help to bear part of the cost ... on the average about 20 percent, but it really depends on different premises. Because the length of the sewers and configuration of the sewers are different, it boils down to a case-by-case basis."
PUB says it works out to an average of S$200 per unit for high-rise buildings, and it is working with various agencies and grassroots organisations on how to implement the programme.
It will start with sewers in the Rochor Canal area next month and could take up to a year to complete the assessment and works there.
PUB will then move on to other areas within the Marina Catchment, including the city, Geylang, Paya Lebar and Kallang among others.
The work is expected to be completed between five and seven years.
But it is not just about fixing private sewers.
Celebrating the completion of the new pumping station, Dr Yaacob said the government will set aside S$153 million to restore another 300 kilometres of public sewers in Marina Catchment over the next few years.
In the last decade, the government has spent S$270 million to rehabilitate 750km of public sewers.
Such programmes, along with the upcoming Deep Tunnel Sewerage System, will ensure long term sustainability of water resources.
The completion of the pumping station marks a milestone in the development of Singapore's water supply strategy.
It is now ready to receive used water from a network of tunnels before channelling it to the Changi Reclamation Plant, which will be ready in 2008.
The S$323 million Influent Pumping Station is an important component of the S$3.6 billion phase one of the Deep Tunnel Sewerage System, which has won engineering awards in both Singapore and ASEAN. - CNA /ct
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