WATER PRESSURE OF FIRE HYDRANTS

Mr Robert Chua Teck Chew asked the Minister for Home Affairs, in view of a recent warehouse fire at Penjuru Road and the difficulty in fighting the fire due to low water pressure, if he will assure the House that all fire hydrants, especially those in the Jurong Industrial Estate, will have adequate water pressure for effective fire fighting.

Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee (for the Minister for Home Affairs): Mr Speaker, Sir, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) conducts regular checks on all fire hydrants. The SCDF would liaise with the Public Utilities Board (PUB) to rectify faulty hydrants.

In the situation mentioned by the hon. Member, the difficulty in fighting the fire was not due to low water pressure. In any case, should there be any problems with water pressure in fighting a fire, the Civil Defence can overcome it. Water supply from other sources will be channelled to fight the fire when necessary, eg, from relay pumping from distant hydrants or from pumping from open water sources, such as rivers, lakes, reservoirs, etc. For major fires, officers from PUB's Water Department are also present to ensure that the water supply and water pressure are adequate.