Damage caused by Clementi BTO landslide 'quite extensive' but unlikely to delay key collection: MP

SINGAPORE: The damage caused by a landslide on Friday (Sep 2) near a Clementi Build-to-Order (BTO) project is “fairly extensive” but unlikely to delay the collection of keys for buyers of the new flats, said the area's Member of Parliament Sim Ann.

The landslide occurred at about 2am on Friday near the construction site of Clementi NorthArc.

Ms Sim (PAP-Holland-Bukit Timah), who is also Senior Minister of State for National Development, told reporters that afternoon that the Housing and Development Board (HDB) had done a preliminary assessment of the situation.

"At the moment, HDB sees no reason to delay key collection beyond the dates that they have already communicated to the buyers,” she said. “But of course, we will be monitoring the situation very carefully."

The completion date for Clementi NorthArc was originally supposed to be sometime in the third quarter of this year, but in April buyers were informed that this would be pushed back.

Ms Sim said that based on the latest update, buyers would be able to collect their keys in December at the earliest.

Meanwhile, HDB is coordinating with the Public Utilities Board and the National Parks Board (NParks) to deal with the aftermath of the landslide.

“The damage has been quite extensive and quite a lot of effort will have to be expended on making sure that the repair methods are very properly considered and carried out, so this will also take some time,” said Ms Sim.

The immediate priority, she said, is to restore water flow into the nearby Ulu Pandan canal, with a section currently blocked with debris from the landslide.

To facilitate this, a “fairly long” part of the park connector along the canal, stretching from Ghim Moh to the Ayer Rajah Expressway, will be closed off to the public, said Ms Sim.

“We know that many residents use this stretch of park connectors regularly for recreation as well as moving from point to point. It will cause some inconvenience, but we do seek the public's understanding."

She added that instrumentation checks on surrounding blocks as well as the new BTO project itself show that the buildings are “alright”.

Except for the immediate area affected by soil displacement, the supply of utilities is not expected to be affected in surrounding parts, said Ms Sim.

She added that investigations on the cause of the landslide are ongoing, but that all necessary checks had been conducted prior to the start of construction work for the BTO.