Happy Fish Swim School fined S$6,500 for discarding chlorine powder into sewers

SINGAPORE: A swim college in Jurong East has been fined S$6,500 for illegally discarding chlorine powder into public sewers, PUB mentioned on Monday (Dec 6).On Mar 5, an worker of Happy Fish Swim School dumped about 45kg of calcium hypochlorite into the sewers on the swim college at Jurong Gateway Road and used a hearth hose to flush water down the sewer, mentioned PUB.Authorities had been alerted to the incident when alarmed residents within the space reported listening to a loud explosive sound, mentioned the nationwide water company.Happy Fish Swim School founder Tan Jian Yong beforehand mentioned that there have been no college students on the premises when the incident occurred, and that no accidents had been reported.He mentioned the college employed a waste administration firm after noticing a robust scent from the chlorine drum, which had come into contact with moist air.An worker, a upkeep keeper, had "mistaken the intention and took the initiative to discard the chlorine powder into the sewage without knowing that it will cause issues", mentioned Mr Tan.PUB mentioned on the time that there was no impression to the sewerage system or high quality of used water, which is taken to its reclamation vegetation for therapy.On Monday, PUB defined that calcium hypochlorite, generally used for pool sanitisation and upkeep, is a extremely reactive and corrosive chemical."The improper disposal of calcium hypochlorite into the sewers exposed it to organic matter present in used water," mentioned the company."This caused a chemical reaction that created a loud explosive sound and released a large volume of chlorine gas into the sewers."PUB confirmed that the incident didn't trigger any accidents or injury to the sewerage system.It added that investigations confirmed Happy Fish Swim School didn't have written approval to discharge commerce effluent into the general public sewers, however did so as an alternative of partaking a poisonous industrial waste collector.Illegal disposal of hazardous substances into the sewers is an offence punishable below the Sewerage and Drainage Act. Happy Fish Swim School is a first-time offender, mentioned PUB.The company added that it additionally discovered a number of security lapses within the use, storage and disposal of chemical compounds on the college’s premises.These included a scarcity of safe amenities for correct storage of chemical merchandise, no coaching or documentation offered to staff assigned to deal with hazardous chemical compounds, and lack of monitoring methods to stop and deter unauthorised entry to saved chemical provides."The disposal of hazardous substances into the sewers is an irresponsible act that can adversely affect the operational integrity of the public sewerage system, disrupt the used water treatment process, and severely endanger the health and safety of the workers maintaining the system," mentioned Maurice Neo, director of PUB's water reclamation community."Companies are responsible for ensuring that all trade effluent is adequately treated to comply with discharge requirements before being disposed into the sewers, and that hazardous substances such as used oil, spent solvents and leftover chemicals are properly segregated and collected by the appropriate licenced waste collectors."Following this incident, PUB mentioned authorities issued a joint round to all swimming pool operators and homeowners on the secure use and disposal of chlorine-containing chemical compounds for disinfection.Under the Sewerage and Drainage Act, first-time offenders who illegally get rid of hazardous substances could also be jailed as much as 12 months, fined as much as S$50,000 or each.