Singapore legislation
Section 9
Section 9
General power of Commissioner and Medical Officer of Health to direct the taking of specified measures
(1)
Where it appears to the Commissioner or a Medical Officer of Health that any premises or anything therein is or may become favourable to the propagation or harbouring of disease-bearing insects, he may, by order in writing addressed to the owner or occupier of the premises, direct the owner or occupier to take such specified measure or measures with regard to the premises or for the treatment, destruction or removal of anything therein as may bring them into a condition unfavourable to the propagation or harbouring of disease-bearing insects.
(2)
The Commissioner or a Medical Officer of Health may, in any such order, direct —
the date on or before which any such specified measure shall be commenced and the period within which any such specified measure shall be completed;
that any such specified measure shall be taken at specified intervals over a specified period of time; or
that any such specified measure shall be commenced within a specified period of time and continued until such time as the premises or anything therein is no longer favourable to the propagation or harbouring of disease-bearing insects.
(3)
The Commissioner or a Medical Officer of Health may, by order in writing, direct the occupier of any premises so to cover, within a specified time, and keep continuously covered any specified tank, cistern, receptacle or any manner of container whatsoever in or appertaining to the premises, that disease-bearing insects shall be unable to enter therein, and where any premises are unoccupied, the order may be addressed to the owner thereof as if he were the occupier.
(4)
In particular and without prejudice to the generality of the powers under this section, the Commissioner or a Medical Officer of Health may, in any such order, direct the owner or occupier to drain any land in accordance with such specifications or in such manner as he may specify in the order, or to fill up inequalities in the surface thereof to a specified level so as to prevent the breeding of disease-bearing insects or so as to keep the land permanently free from standing water to an extent specified in the order.
(5)
Notwithstanding subsections (1), (3) and (4), the Commissioner or a Medical Officer of Health may, in his discretion, if in his opinion the circumstances so warrant, himself cause any measure or work specified in those subsections to be done instead of proceeding by way of order in writing addressed to the owner or occupier of the premises concerned, but in every such case the Commissioner or the Medical Officer of Health shall notify the owner or occupier as to the nature of the measure or work that is so intended to be done.