SEWERAGE DISPOSAL WORKS AT KIM CHUAN ROAD (Elimination of odour)

Mr Ang Nam Piau asked the Minister for Law and National Development whether he is aware that unpleasant odour from the sewerage disposal works at Kim Chuan Road is affecting the atmosphere around the Singapore International Airport, and whether and what steps will be taken to eliminate or minimise the odour so as not to give a bad impression of Singapore to new arrivals.

The Minister for Law and National Development (Mr E. W. Barker): Mr Speaker, Sir, occasionally an unpleasant odour comes from the sewage treatment works at Kim Chuan Road. Though unpleasant, the odour is certainly not harmful nor injurious to health. The smell is caused by the treatment works being heavily overloaded because of increasing development in the eastern sector of the island.

However, the new extensions to the treatment works, costing about $13 million, are now nearing completion and when the new units are fully in operation, the incidence of this nuisance will be greatly reduced, if not completely abated.

Mr Speaker, Sir, I will mention here that the treatment works were first built in 1940 and the Airport was built more than 20 years later, in the 1960s.