Prosecutions and enforcement actions are being taken in relation to a sinkhole in Singapore last year.
The incident occurred next to a worksite along Tanjong Katong Road South, which involved the construction of a shaft to connect three new sewer pipelines. The construction included soil strengthening works using jet grout piles and the casting of reinforced concrete caisson rings.
On July 26, 2025 at about 5.50pm, part of the shaft under construction allegedly failed, leading to soil ingress into the shaft. Around the same time, a sinkhole formed at Tanjong Katong Road South, and a car and its driver fell into it. The driver was rescued by workers from the worksite and taken conscious to the hospital.
Following the investigation by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA), Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) charges have been brought against seven parties – the builder Ohin Construction Co Pte Ltd and its managing director Ong Khiaw Yang Ivan, project director Raajkumar s/o Nadarajan, and project manager Sellappan Saravanakumar; the qualified persons Kee Chen Siang and Yau Tze Yin; and the resident engineer Senthilnathan Mathyalakan.
The alleged offences include unauthorised and non-compliant works; licensing and supervisory failures; testing and monitoring lapses; and failure to notify authorities and false declarations.
Further, conditional warnings have been administered against Singapore’s national water agency, PUB, and Surbana Jurong Consultants Pte Ltd for offences under the Building Control Act.
Works have remained on hold since the incident. For work to resume, the new project parties to be appointed by PUB will need to submit new structural plans.
After the incident, BCA reviewed more than 60 similar ongoing projects, and found no safety issues. It also issued an advisory to remind the industry to exercise due diligence in all similar construction projects.
MOM conducted inspections on various construction sites and took enforcement actions for safety lapses, including those related to excavation works.
The organisations said the incident demonstrated the critical importance of proper supervision and adherence to safety protocols. Enforcement action would be taken against public sector agencies, companies and individuals who failed to fulfil their statutory duties.
