What happens when the ground shifts

Confront problems directly, trust the right expertise and stand by your staff - that was how Chiu Teng Construction's general manager Lim Chee Siang led his team through a crisis

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The landslide caused a large amount of soil to be pushed into the Ulu Pandan Canal, raising flood concerns.

(SPH MEDIA)

Just after 1am on Sept 2, 2022, Mr Lim Chee Siang awoke to the sound of his buzzing phone.

As general manager of Chiu Teng Construction, he was no stranger to late-night calls about work, But this one felt different - the voice on the other end sounded rather frantic.

"The caller was my building project manager and he said that a hoarding had collapsed at our Clementi building site," says Mr Lim, 43.

Still in his pyjamas, Mr Lim rushed to the site. In the darkness, it was hard to make sense of the damage. Only at daybreak did the full extent of the landslide come into view - it was the size of a football field, covering the Ulu Pandan Park Connector.

Trees had been uprooted, street lamps knocked over, and the canal was clogged with soil.