Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu has apologised to the driver who fell into the sinkhole along Tanjong Katong Road South on Saturday (26 July).
In a Facebook video taken at the site of the sinkhole, she also said it was a “serious incident” that “should not have happened”.
Source: Grace Fu on Facebook
Ms Fu, who visited the site on Tuesday (29 July), said she extended the apology on behalf of her ministry and national water agency PUB.
To the driver, she made a “sincere apology” for her injury, as well as her “harrowing experience”.
She also apologised to members of the public and residents in the area “for causing anxiety and unease”.
Finally, she apologised to motorists and commuters who had suffered inconvenience due to the road closure.
Tanjong Katong Road South has been closed till further notice since the incident, with motorists and bus commuters having to make lengthy diversions.
Source: PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency on Facebook
But motorists and commuters may have to be inconvenienced for “a few more days”, said Ms Fu.
This is because a “thorough and rigorous safety assessment” is ongoing, with the authorities so far conducting many tests at the site to verify that the ground is stable.
The road will not be reopened until they are satisfied that it is safe, she added.
At the same time, her ministry will convene an internal investigation panel to look into the cause of the sinkhole, Ms Fu said.
Source: Grace Fu on Facebook
It will be made up of people who are very experienced, with various expertise in the area, she added.
This comes after the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) said on Monday (28 July) that it would be conducting an independent investigation into the cause of the sinkhole.
PUB will fully cooperate with BCA, Ms Fu pledged.
Having two teams look into it will help the authorities to find out the causes “more thoroughly and systematically”, she was quoted as saying by Channel NewsAsia.
When the minister was asked whether the sinkhole was linked to a water pipe that reportedly burst the morning before the sinkhole developed, she replied that all available evidence would be looked into.
Source: Christine Mei Yee on Facebook
The authorities will study and report on the findings, Ms Fu said.
On complaints from residents about noise from repair works, she described it as a “fine trade-off” as if work is stopped at night, rectification works may not be finished quickly enough.
They will try to mitigate the noise, but she hopes residents will understand that they want to stabilise the road quickly in the interest of public safety.
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Featured image adapted from Grace Fu on Facebook and PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency on Facebook.