Surface Water Drainage Regulations - Singapore Statutes Online

Water Pollution Control and Drainage Act

(Chapter 348, Section 71)

Surface Water Drainage Regulations

Rg 3

G.N. No. S 121/1976

REVISED EDITION 1990

(25th March 1992)

[15th June 1976]

Citation

1. These Regulations may be cited as the Surface Water Drainage Regulations.

Definitions

2. In these Regulations, unless the context otherwise requires —

“Code of Practice” means the Code of Practice on Surface Water Drainage issued under regulation 3 and includes amendments made to the Code of Practice from time to time;

“professional engineer” means a person registered under the Professional Engineers Act [Cap. 253];

“registered architect” means a person registered under the Architects Act [Cap. 12].

Director to issue and amend Code of Practice

3. The Director may, from time to time, issue and amend a Code of Practice on Surface Water Drainage, setting out such standards, designs, requirements, procedures, and other details, pertaining to these Regulations and not inconsistent therewith, as he thinks fit.

Plans to be submitted for approval

4.—(1) Where any drainage works are to be carried out by a person other than the Government, the registered architect or professional engineer who prepared the drainage plans and designs of those works or who is employed or engaged to supervise those works shall, before those drainage works are carried out, submit those plans and designs to the Director and obtain the Director’s approval for the carrying out of those drainage works.

(2) All the layout plans and designs of the drainage works shall be signed by a registered architect or professional engineer.

(3) All the engineering drawings and designs of those drainage works shall be signed by a professional engineer.

(4) The Director may by notice in writing require —

(a)	a registered architect who signs a layout plan and design of any drainage works under paragraph (2) to have the plan and design; and
(b)	a professional engineer, who signs any layout plan and design or engineering drawing and design under paragraph (2) or (3), to have the plan and design or drawing and design, as the case may be,

prepared in accordance with the Code of Practice.

(5) The construction of all drains shall be supervised by a professional engineer who shall, upon completion of the construction, certify that the construction was supervised by him and furnish the Director with the certificate.

Earth slopes

5. All earth slopes shall be set outside a drainage reserve.

Obstruction of drain or drainage reserve

6.—(1) No fence, retaining wall, foundation, manhole, pipe, cable, main, or any temporary or permanent obstruction or structure shall be erected, constructed or laid within a drain or a drainage reserve without the prior written permission of the Director.

(2) No drain shall be constructed within a drainage reserve without the prior written permission of the Director.

Removal of unauthorised obstruction

7. The Director may by notice in writing require the owner of a drain or drainage reserve to demolish, remove, clear or resite at the cost and expense of the owner any fence, retaining wall, foundation, manhole, pipe, cable, main, obstruction or structure, which was erected, constructed or laid within the drain or drainage reserve without the prior written permission of the Director, within a reasonable time specified in the notice.

Structure above and across drains

8.—(1) No person shall construct a structure above and across a drain without the prior written permission of the Director.

(2) The Director may, subject to such conditions as he thinks fit, approve an application for permission to construct a structure above and across a drain or refuse to approve the application.

(3) Such structure shall have its own supports and shall not transmit its load or a part thereof to the drain or a part thereof.

Coffer-dams

9.—(1) No person shall construct a coffer-dam in a drain without the prior written permission of the Director.

(2) A person who intends to construct a coffer-dam in a drain shall furnish plans, designs and other details of his proposed construction to the Director.

(3) The Director may, subject to such conditions as he thinks fit, approve an application for permission to construct a coffer-dam in a drain or refuse to approve the application.

Works on drain to improve discharge capacity

10. If a person by an act renders a drain to be, in the opinion of the Director, inadequate in discharge capacity, the Director may by notice in writing require the person to carry out any improvement works on the drain within a reasonable time specified in the notice, and the costs and expenses of those works shall be borne by that person.

Notice to construct drain and other drainage works

11.—(1) The Director may by notice in writing require —

(a)	the owner of any premises to have a drain therein constructed, altered or repaired in accordance with the Code of Practice;
(b)	a person who intends to carry out any drainage works or who is carrying out the works to comply with and to provide such drainage reserves as may be required by the Code of Practice;
(c)	a person to comply with the drainage requirements of the Code of Practice in carrying out any earth works;
(d)	the owner of any premises to maintain at such angle as may be specified in the Code of Practice any earth slope on those premises which is adjacent to a drainage reserve; and
(e)	the owner of any pipe, cable or wire laid across or below a drain to lay the pipe, cable or wire underneath the drain in accordance with the Code of Practice.

(2) The costs and expenses incurred in complying with a notice served under paragraph (1) shall be borne by the person to whom the notice is given.

Time limit for drain works

12. If, within a period of 6 months from the date of approval by the Director of the plans, showing details of the design and specifications of a drain, which have been submitted under section 6(2) of the Act, or such longer period as the Director may, in any particular case allow, work on the drain has not commenced or the construction, alteration or repair of the drain has not been continued, the approval shall cease to be valid and shall be deemed to have been withdrawn, but the Director may renew the approval subject to such conditions as he thinks fit.

Exemptions

13. The Director may exempt any person or premises or a class of persons or premises from one or more of these Regulations.

Penalty

14. A person who contravenes or fails to comply with these Regulations shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $2,000 and in the case of a continuing offence to a further fine of $100 for every day or part thereof during which the offence continues after conviction.

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