Brave migrant workers rescue woman from Singapore sinkhole – South China Morning Post

Report on Community Action and Infrastructure Incident in Singapore in the Context of Sustainable Development Goals

Incident Summary

On Saturday, a significant infrastructure failure occurred on Tanjong Katong Road, Singapore, when a sinkhole approximately three meters deep formed, engulfing a passenger vehicle. The driver was successfully rescued by a group of migrant construction workers from a nearby worksite. This event provides a practical case study for the intersection of community action and several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Implications

• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities: The sudden appearance of the sinkhole underscores the critical importance of resilient, safe, and sustainable urban infrastructure. The immediate and effective response by members of the community, however, demonstrates the social cohesion and resilience that are fundamental to creating sustainable communities.
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities: The heroic actions of the migrant workers serve to challenge societal perceptions and promote the social inclusion of a demographic that can face marginalization. By contributing positively and decisively in a moment of crisis, they highlighted their integral role within the community, thereby helping to reduce social inequalities.
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth: This incident showcases the broader societal contributions of migrant laborers beyond their direct economic output. The workers’ actions exemplify a commitment to community well-being, reflecting the positive social fabric that supports and is supported by a productive workforce.
• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being: The primary outcome of the rescue was the preservation of the driver’s health and safety, a direct reflection of SDG 3’s core targets. Furthermore, the site foreman’s leadership in ensuring his workers’ safety during the rescue operation aligns with the goal of promoting well-being for all.

Chronology of Key Actions

1. A sinkhole formed on a public road, causing a vehicle with a driver inside to fall in.
2. Migrant workers at an adjacent Public Utilities Board construction site, including foreman Pitchai Udaiyappan Subbiah, were alerted by the sound.
3. The workers immediately mobilized to provide assistance.
4. The team collaborated to pull the driver from the vehicle and out of the sinkhole to safety.
5. The foreman demonstrated responsible leadership by instructing his workers not to enter the unstable sinkhole, thus preventing further potential harm and ensuring the rescue was conducted safely.

Conclusion

The rescue on Tanjong Katong Road is a powerful illustration of community solidarity advancing the principles of the Sustainable Development Goals. It highlights that the development of safe and resilient infrastructure (SDG 11) must be complemented by a socially inclusive and cohesive community (SDG 10) where all members are valued for their contributions to collective well-being (SDG 3) and the broader social fabric (SDG 8).

Relevant Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

This goal is addressed because the article discusses a significant failure in urban infrastructure. The sudden appearance of a “three-metre (10-foot) deep sinkhole” on a city road highlights issues related to the safety, reliability, and resilience of essential public services and infrastructure in an urban environment.

SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

This goal is relevant as it focuses on building resilient infrastructure. The collapse of a road into a sinkhole, as described in the article, is a direct example of infrastructure that is not resilient or reliable, posing a risk to citizens and disrupting services.

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

The core of the article revolves around a life-saving action. The migrant workers’ “quick action in saving a woman” directly prevented potential injury or death, aligning with the goal of ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all.

SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

The article focuses on the actions of “migrant workers” and a “construction site foreman.” It touches upon workplace safety when the foreman, Pitchai Udaiyappan Subbiah, advised his workers against jumping into the unstable hole to protect them from harm. This relates to the goal of promoting safe and secure working environments for all workers, including migrants.

Specific Targets Identified

1. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

   • Target 11.5: By 2030, significantly reduce the number of deaths and the number of people affected… caused by disasters. The sinkhole represents a localized infrastructure disaster. The article details how the workers’ rescue mission directly reduced the number of people affected by pulling the driver to safety, preventing serious injury or death.

2. SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

   • Target 9.1: Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure… to support economic development and human well-being. The article’s central event, a car being “swallowed by a sinkhole,” is a clear illustration of a failure to meet this target, as the road infrastructure proved to be unreliable and not resilient.

3. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

   • Target 3.6: By 2020, halve the number of global deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents. Although a sinkhole is not a typical traffic accident, it is a road-related incident that could have resulted in severe injury or death. The rescue, where “four or five workers pull her out,” directly prevented such an outcome.

4. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

   • Target 8.8: Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers, including migrant workers. This target is implied through the actions of the foreman who, concerned for his team’s safety, “advised against” jumping into the hole, stating, “you go down you also cannot climb up.” This demonstrates the promotion of a safe environment, even during an emergency.

Indicators Mentioned or Implied

The article provides qualitative and anecdotal evidence rather than quantitative data, but certain indicators are clearly implied.

1. For Target 11.5:

   • Indicator 11.5.1 (Number of deaths, missing persons and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population): The article implies that for this specific disaster, the number of deaths was zero and the number of directly affected persons was limited to one, thanks to the successful rescue operation.

2. For Target 9.1:

   • Qualitative Indicator of Infrastructure Failure: The article’s description of a “sinkhole suddenly appearing” on a road serves as a direct, albeit non-numerical, indicator of a lack of infrastructure resilience and reliability.

3. For Target 3.6:

   • Indicator 3.6.1 (Death rate due to road traffic injuries): The outcome of the event—the woman being saved without reported injury—implies a death rate of zero for this specific road incident, directly attributable to the workers’ intervention.

4. For Target 8.8:

   • Qualitative Indicator of a Safe Working Environment: The foreman’s explicit instruction to his workers not to enter the sinkhole for their own safety (“I said to my workers, you go down you also cannot climb up”) is a direct, qualitative indicator of the promotion of a safe working environment.

Summary of Findings

Source: scmp.com