SINGAPORE: The Sembawang Town Council has said that it will be replacing the affected water tank where an Indonesian maid's body was found last Monday at Woodlands Drive 73, Block 686B.
It said it has discussed how this can be done with its contractor and engineers.
The town council is in the process of informing residents of the decision.
The town council said the affected tank and tanks connected to it are currently not in use and have been isolated from the water distribution system. Residents now receive water from four instead of the eight tanks.
The town council will also be crediting S$10 to each household's Service and Conservancy Charges (S&CC) account for the month of June 2011.
This is over and above the June 2011 S&CC government rebates. For residents on the Giro scheme, after the offset of the S$10 and government rebates, the remaining amount will be deducted from the bank account.
According to the national water agency PUB, Singapore has had 12 cases of non-compliance with regard to water tank security since 2007 (as of April 2011), with nine occurring in HDB blocks. These cases involved mainly access to water tanks or inspection covers which were not locked.
Two cases involved private residential buildings and one was in a private mixed development (commercial/residential) building.
PUB said it conducts annual spot checks on about a third of the 14,000 buildings with water storage tanks.
Individual buildings, on average, get checked at least once every five years.
Rajendran, Manager of the Water Supply Network Department in the PUB, said: "We usually check the water tanks for any leaks on the pipes serving the water tanks. We also look around for the nettings in the overflow pipes, whether they are torn, whether insects can go into the water tanks."
S M Luies, Assistant Property Manager of the Sembawang Town Council, added: "Our licensed plumber will give a report, saying that the water has been certified passed. Then after that, we will inform the PUB."
According to the PUB, the water tanks in the various premises are owned and maintained by the respective town councils (TCs), Management Committee Strata Titles (MCSTs) and building owners.
Under the Public Utilities (Water Supply) Regulation, TCs, MCSTs and building owners are responsible for ensuring the security and maintenance of the water tanks on their premises.
They have to ensure that the tanks and the premises where the tanks are located are securely locked at all times, and that only authorised persons are allowed access to the water tanks.
They are also required to conduct regular checks and keep proper records of such checks. They are also required to notify PUB immediately of any unauthorised access. Non-compliance can result in a fine of S$1,000 to S$3,000.
-CNA/ac
