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The recovery and construction efforts at the site of a landslide that took place in Clementi may take a few months, National Development Minister Desmond Lee said in a Facebook post on Sep. 4.

Recovery work to follow slope stabilisation efforts

The landslide occurred on Sep. 2 near Clementi Avenue 6, next to the construction site for the Clementi NorthArc Build-to-Order (BTO) flats.

It caused damage to the Ulu Pandan park connector, and displaced both soil into Ulu Pandan Canal and the scaffolding for part of the BTO construction site.

Lee added that the recovery work will include removing the dislodged soil in the canal, reinstating the damaged part of the park connector, and reconstructing the slope and retaining walls within the site.

In the meantime, immediate repair and additional "permanent" slope stabilisation measures are being carried out by the Housing Development Board (HDB), NParks and the Public Utilities Board (PUB), he said.

A thin layer of concrete has been applied to the slope, by HDB and some contractors, to help stabilise it, the minister added.

A channel has also been created to allow water flow through the canal to mitigate any flood risks upstream in light of rainy weather, he said.

In another Facebook post, PUB announced that its officers had started distributing inflatable floodbags and portable flood barriers to homes at Sunset Way and Sunset Drive on the afternoon of Sep. 5.

According to PUB, with rainy weather expected in the first half of September, the areas upstream of the canal blockage may experience a higher flood risk should there be heavy rain.

Other measures include increasing the deployment of its Quick Response Team vehicles that are on standby in the upstream locations, and monitoring the rain forecast and water level sensors in the canal.

Factors for landslide under investigation

Lee added that the factors which contributed to the landslide are currently being investigated by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA), the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and HDB.

As for buildings near the landslide, they "remain" structurally sound, following inspections carried out by engineers from BCA and HDB and the construction project's Qualified Person who is either an architect or an engineer, according to the minister.

Top photo by Ashley Tan