Minister for National Development Chee Hong Tat announced on June 14 at the 2026 World Cities Summit Mayors Forum that Singapore's Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) will expand the use of non-invasive technologies — including electromagnetic locators and ground-penetrating radars — to detect underground utility networks and reduce the need for exploratory digging. Speaking at Suntec Convention Centre, Chee said Singapore has already avoided about S$300 million in unnecessary re-routing costs since 2024 through enhanced planning workflows that identify underground conflicts before construction begins. The initiative addresses a core challenge for land-scarce cities: dense, poorly-mapped underground infrastructure that forces repeated and costly road openings.
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