Environmental Protection

Sustainable land transport is crucial to Singapore’s development. To limit the environmental impact from our projects, LTA has a holistic environmental management system that is used across all planning stages of our projects from planning and design, to construction.

For every project that has been identified to have significant environmental impact, an Environmental Study is conducted at the design stage. It assesses the potential impact of construction work and suggests mitigation measures to reduce it. Before starting work, contractors must provide an environmental management plan that includes recommendations from the Environmental Study report.

All LTA projects must also adopt sustainable construction practices to build greener land transport system. We have a series of guidebooks to assist contractors and staff:

Earth Control Measures

Earth Control Measures

Earthworks and digging can lead to soil disturbance. To minimise soil loss and prevent silt from polluting waterways, we put Earth Control Measures (ECM) in place. Before starting work, contractors must:

Have an ECM plan designed and endorsed by a Qualified Erosion Control Professional (QECP);
Submit the ECM plan and obtain a Clearance Certificate from PUB;
Implement ECM on site accurately; and
Have a full-time site staff, with an Earth Control Measures Officer (ECMO) qualification, for construction site spanning more than 0.5 hectares.

The primary focus of ECM is erosion control. These are the minimum requirements:

Retain as much existing vegetation as possible during site clearance to minimise the formation of bare surfaces.
Restore ground cover over disturbed areas that have become bare.
Carry out trench excavation work in sequence with the progress of permanent works.

Pave bare surfaces and all construction access with concreting, milled waste or other suitable materials.

Protect earth stockpiles with erosion control blankets or canvas sheets.

Protect bare slopes with close turfing, concrete grouting, erosion control blankets or canvas sheets.

Sediment control to contain, store and treat eroded soil from entering waterways should meet these minimum requirements:

Construct concrete-lined cut-off drains along the perimeter of the construction sites.

Erect silt fences in front and along the perimeter cut-off drain along the perimeter of the boundary of the site.

Install a treatment system equipped with a continuous turbidity and total suspended solids monitoring device and close circuit television before discharging into public drains.

Install turbidity curtains for construction works near water bodies. The design, fabrication, and installation of the primary and secondary turbidity curtains must be conducted to ensure that the turbidity of water shall not exceed pre-existing levels or 50mg/l.

Noise Pollution Control

Noise Pollution Control

In land-scarce Singapore, it is unavoidable that construction takes place near residential areas, hospitals and schools, which are known as Noise Sensitive Receivers (NSRs). We continuously monitor construction noise levels in these areas to minimise disturbance and ensure the noise is within limits set by the National Environment Agency.

Contractors must also comply with noise pollution control requirements such as:

Carrying out a baseline noise survey (for 24-hours a day for one week) prior to the commencement of works to establish background noise levels.
Submitting a Noise Management Plan before commencement of any construction. The plans must include the baseline noise record and indicate the NSRs. They should also propose strategies to reduce noise and manage matters with the affected community.
Implementing all practicable measures while continuously monitoring the noise levels closely throughout the construction duration.
Focusing on controlling the noise at source and supplementing this with controls at pathways.

Practicable noise impact control measures include the following:

Using noise-reduced plants and machinery

Barricade activities with portable noise barriers/panels

Reduce noise from plants with enclosed acoustic shed

Barricade activities with portable noise barriers/panels

Erect perimeter noise barriers

Establish good rapport with the community

Vector Control Measure

Vector Control Measure

Vectors are organisms that transmit diseases. In Singapore, the five main vectors are: mosquitoes, flies, rodents, cockroaches and fleas. Mosquitos are responsible for most of the vector-borne diseases in Singapore. As such, the focus of vector control is primarily on mosquitoes.

Contractors must submit a plan for vector control before starting work. The plan should include but not be limited to:

Having an in-house vector control team carry out the vector surveillance and control work.
Engaging external vector control operator to supplement the in-house control.
Using source reduction and effective drainage as the main forms of mosquito control.
Searching for and destroying potential breeding grounds, especially after rain. This can be done using the “zoning method” which divides a site into a maximum of three zones and monitors one zone per day. This ensures that the site is checked at least twice a week. This can break the mosquito breeding cycle during warmer-than-usual weather.
Applying larvicide or Anti-Mosquito (AM) oil to supplement source reduction.
Carrying out mass carpet combing of the site. This should involve all site personnel and be done at least once a week.
Closely monitoring dengue/zika case statuses in the neighbourhood and nationwide.
Carrying out thermal fogging when the adult population is high and/or when there is disease transmission (i.e. the area is located in an active dengue cluster).
Exercising the LTA Dengue Contingency Plan for control measures against active dengue clusters and dengue symptoms.
Storing food in rodent-proof storage containers/cabinets with at least 60cm clearance above ground.
Removing food waste daily and cleaning bins regularly.