Foamy water in Pasir Ris raises pollution fears; NEA investigating

A video of a monitor lizard lounging in foamy water in Pasir Ris has raised pollution fears, in addition to sparking concern among netizens.

The video of the reptile at Sungei Api Api river was posted in the Facebook group Singapore Wildlife Sightings on Sunday (July 5).

"This morning, my friend witnessed this sad sight of a monitor lizard 'bathing' in soapy residue that was pouring into Sungei Api Api at Pasir Ris," said the concerned netizen.

The original poster (OP) added: "Is this what our wildlife has to put up with?"

The incident was also not the first time it had been observed in the area, claimed the OP, who urged the authorities to look into the matter.

Several netizens in the comments section supported the OP by calling for investigations into the origin of the foam and whether it posed any risk to wildlife.

"Hope the authorities can share what follow-up action was taken," chimed in another netizen.

Another commenter urged the authorities to investigate, saying that white foam could be seen flowing into the river "from time to time" from the commenter's residence. 

@asiaone Residents in Pasir Ris claimed the incident was not an isolated one, saying similar occurrences had been observed in the area before. The National Environment Agency (NEA) urged the public to report any unusual discharges into waterways via the OneService app to support its investigations. #sgnews #Singapore #wildlife #pollution ♬ original sound - AsiaOne

NEA's response

The National Environment Agency (NEA) deployed officers to investigate after being alerted about the video, NEA told AsiaOne.

Officers found no unusual discharge at Sungei Api Api or in the nearby drains, and there were no reports of water pollution in the surrounding area, the agency said.

"NEA has reminded the managements and resident networks of nearby residential developments and schools to ensure their activities do not result in discharges of soapy water or other polluting matters into public drains," added NEA.

NEA also reminded the public to report any unusual discharges into waterways via the OneService app by providing the exact location, date and time of the incident, along with photos or videos to facilitate investigations.

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