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There was an average of 21 landslide incidents per year reported to the Building and Constructions Authority (BCA) in 2020 and 2021, Minister for National Development Desmond Lee said on Monday (Oct. 3).

Lee was responding to questions by Workers' Party Member of Parliament (MP) He Ting Ru, who asked about the frequency of landslides reported in the past five years.

The Sengkang MP also asked about the frequency and circumstances under which land stability and integrity is reviewed and assessed, as well as whether there was a need to update current protocols to prevent future landslides.

Only one reported incident so far in 2022

The average number of landslides per year in 2020 and 2021 was higher than that of those between 2017 and 2019, which had an average of five reported landslides per year.

"These were all relatively minor cases involving the movement of shallow layers of soil, and did not cause significant damage to infrastructure", Lee wrote.

Lee remarked that 2020 and 2021 saw "higher-than-normal" rainfall, which could be one contributing factor to the increased number of incidents in those years.

Clementi NorthArc landslide

As of September 2022, only one landslide was reported to BCA this year.

This was the incident that occurred at the Clementi NorthArc Build-To-Order construction site on Sep. 2, 2022.

The incident, Lee said, was caused by slope failure.

"BCA has inspected the surrounding buildings and found them to be structurally sound", Lee added.

Following the incident, BCA has reminded all Qualified Persons (QPs) and builders to inspect slopes on or adjacent to their work sites and take steps to ensure their stability.

BCA will also conduct checks to ascertain that project parties have taken these measures

Additional measures will be adopted if needed

The cause of the Sep. 2 slope failure is under investigation.

BCA will assess if additional measures on top of current protocols are needed following the outcome of the investigations, Lee wrote.

On current measures, Lee shared that agencies managing public lands carry out regular inspections on slopes that pose risks to public safety and implement appropriate mitigation measures to stabilise the slopes as needed.

During periods of intense wet weather, agencies increase the frequency of inspections, Lee added. At work sites, BCA requires all slope formation and modifications by building works to be assessed by a QP before construction begins.

The QP is required to recommend the implementation of slope protection measures to ensure its stability during adverse weather conditions. The QP is also required to recommend measures to monitor the condition of slopes while works are ongoing.

The frequency of monitoring is recommended based on the complexity of construction works. For example, work sites close to other buildings may be monitored daily as opposed to weekly.

BCA also issues regular advisories to land and building owners to ensure adequate drainage and proper maintenance of slopes, to manage the risk of landslides.

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Top image via MCI YouTube