Pipes leak. Though they need not and should not. Particularly so when they are drawing raw water from a river basin and channelling it to an inland reservoir.
A new water pipeline from the Kallang Basin, at the southern end of Singapore Island, has to do its job properly. Approximately 7.5 miles long and more than two metres in diameter, made of immaculately welded steel plates, lined with cement mortar and wrapped in bitumen, it is designed not to lose a drop.
To make sure it doesn't, Crown Agents Singapore is inspecting all raw materials and verifying the entire construction process for Singapore Piling and Civil Works Pte Ltd. Welding, lining and coating all fall within our remit, as do radiography testing and water pressure tests. So our responsibility is to attest that neither corrosion, cracking nor substandard welding will affect this huge Public Utility Board project, whose first phase will run until the end of next year.