Water in Toa Payoh drain mysteriously turns milky blue, PUB monitoring situation

Ang Qing
The Straits Times
August 10, 2023

Water in a drain in Toa Payoh that leads to the Kallang River turned a milky shade of blue on Thursday afternoon.

When The Straits Times visited the site at 1.45pm, several fish were observed swimming in the cloudy water along a stretch of the Sungei Kallang subsidiary drain next to Block 205 Toa Payoh North.

The water remained blue for at least 45 minutes. No obnoxious odour was detected.

Responding to queries from The Straits Times, national water agency PUB said it was alerted to the whitish blue discharge at about 2.30pm.

“Our officers went on-site immediately to investigate but did not observe any traces of the discharge at the location or further upstream. No abnormalities were detected in the water quality downstream of the discharge,” it said.

When The Straits Times visited the site at 1.45pm, several fish were observed swimming in the cloudy water. ST PHOTO: EUGENE TAN

A spokesman for Bishan-Toa Payoh Town Council said in response to queries that it found no irregularities when it visited the site at 3.40pm.

PUB said it will continue to monitor the location.

The public can contact PUB on 1800-2255-782 to report any suspected pollution in Singapore’s waterways.

On June 26, Chinese news outlet Lianhe Zaobao reported that water in a drain near Toa Payoh Lorong 8 had also turned pale blue.

In 2015, water in a canal in Jurong West turned crimson, alarming some residents. This was attributed by PUB to an organic solvent and dye in a perimeter drain.