Source: Shin Min Daily News
Residents in Clementi have raised concerns after noticing a strong petrol-like smell coming from a nearby canal, which was later found to be covered with an oily sheen.
The incident took place around 6pm on 29 Sept at the Sungei Pandan Kechil waterway beside Block 612 Clementi West Street 1.
According to Shin Min Daily News, a resident surnamed Wang said he noticed a layer of oil on the surface of the canal water while out for a walk.
He described the stench as even stronger than what one would smell at a petrol station and suspected that the oil might have leaked from a vessel, as the canal connects to the sea near the West Coast area.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
Another resident who jogged past the site described the odour as overwhelming and difficult to bear.
When Shin Min Daily News visited the location that evening, the water level in the canal had subsided, but the petrol smell lingered in the air.
The smell reportedly spread to another section of the waterway about 400 metres away, near Block 720 Clementi West Street 2.
Reporters observed a visible oil layer floating on the surface there as well, with some passers-by covering their noses as they walked past.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
A resident surnamed Lin, 52, said he noticed the smell around noon that day while buying lunch and spotted the oil on the water.
Having lived in the area for two years, he said it was the first time he had encountered such an incident.
The National Environment Agency (NEA) told MS News that it had deployed absorbent booms in the canal to prevent the oil sheen from spreading after receiving the report.
“Our onsite checks and monitoring for potential sources of discharge have not uncovered any within the vicinity,” the agency said.
NEA added that the oil sheen had dissipated by 1 Oct, within two days of the initial report.
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News.