Miscommunication, lapses in coordination between agencies led to year-long delay in removing fridge from Clementi Forest: Sim Ann

SINGAPORE — A "miscommunication" between government agencies was what caused a year-long delay in removing a discarded fridge from Clementi Forest, Ms Sim Ann said on Monday (May 8).

The Senior Minister of State for National Development also said that the case was closed prematurely bevcause there was "no follow through" to check if the fridge had been cleared.

The fridge, which was illegally dumped in the forest, was first reported by a Russian hiker in March 2022 through the OneService mobile application. It was removed from the forest on April 21 this year following a report by TODAY on the hiker's quest to clear it.

The application, which is managed by the Municipal Services Office (MSO), allows government agencies to receive and respond to public feedback.

Said Ms Sim: “Some cases require multiple agencies to work together. Lapses in communication and coordination between agencies sometimes occur, as in the case of the refrigerator found on state land in Clementi Forest.”

On Monday, Dr Tan Wu Meng, a Member of Parliament for Jurong Group Representation Constituency, filed a parliamentary question about the delayed clearance of the fridge and the Government's approach to addressing such electronic waste.

He also queried about the number of reports of illegal dumping of electronic waste in Clementi Forest as well as other similar green spaces.

In response, Ms Sim said that there were two instances of feedback on improper disposal of bulky electronic waste in forested areas that were acted upon by agencies from 2021 to March this year.

TODAY has asked the Ministry of National Development whether these are the only cases of illegal dumping in forested areas, and whether action has been taken to identify the errant individuals who illegally dumped the electronic waste in the forest.

INTER-AGENCY COORDINATION

As for the abandoned fridge in Clementi Forest, Ms Sim said that the National Parks Board (NParks) was first alerted to it in March 2022 through OneService and sought to arrange for its removal.

“Unfortunately, due to a miscommunication between agencies, the removal was not done and the case was closed prematurely. There was also no follow through to check that the refrigerator had indeed been cleared,” said Ms Sim.

When the fridge was reported by the Russian hiker a second time this year, NParks worked with the National Environment Agency (NEA) to clear the fridge on April 21.

Ms Sim added that MSO has been working with stakeholder agencies to strengthen inter-agency coordination through staff training.

“This ensures that feedback involving multiple agencies is referred to correctly through the inter-agency feedback management system. 

“Agencies are also requested to close straightforward cases only when works are completed on the ground. MSO will continue to help our partner agencies in attaining a high level of responsiveness to public feedback,” she said.

The illegal dumping of electronic and other waste in a public place is an offence under the Environmental Public Health Act.

Anyone guilty of illegal dumping of waste in public places may be fined up to S$50,000, or jailed up to one year, or both, for first time offenders. Repeat offenders face up to S$100,000 in fines and jail of up to one year.

“Clementi Forest is not intended for public recreational use at this point in time. Members of the public are encouraged to visit our many public parks and nature parks, and keep to the designated trails within these areas for their own safety and to minimise impact to the environment,” said Ms Sim.