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A one-year-old Build-to-Order (BTO) HDB block of flats in Bukit Panjang had it’s water supply disrupted three times in nine months.
The latest disruption took place on Sunday, Mar. 19.
Residents living in Block 638A Senja Close had their water supply cut off for more than three hours that day due to an electrical trip caused by a ruptured sanitary gasket at the control valve.
This caused the water pump’s power supply to be cut off as a safety measure.
The water supply was cut from 11am to 2pm.
When the water supply was restored, residents claimed it was murky and appeared undrinkable.
Not the first time
A resident surnamed Zhang, 46, told Shin Min Daily News that she was washing cups when she found the water flow from her faucet getting weaker.
She told Shin Min that she had not expected there to be water supply issues given that she moved in about one month ago and it was a newly-built block.
When she contacted Holland-Bukit Panjang Town Council, she was told that the water supply would not be restored until two or three hours later.
Zhang told Shin Min that her son intended to go for a haircut that day.
However, she was worried that there would be no water for her son to take a bath when he came back, so she advised him against it.
Another resident, aged 44, said this was the third instance of water supply disruption.
Similar incidents reportedly occurred in May 2022 and January 2023.
However, the last disruption merely affected a handful of units, but this latest one affected the entire block.
Water appeared murky when restored
After the restoration of the water supply, residents found the water to be cloudy and filled with sediment, making it undrinkable.
Edward Chia, Member of Parliament for Holland-Bukit Timah Group Representation Constituency’s Zhenghua ward, showed up at the block to assess the situation.
He said the last incident in January and the latest one are unrelated.
“The incident in January was due to human negligence,” he said. “Someone switched the water tank from auto to manual, so the tank did not fill up when it was depleted.”
In this current case, the pipe’s waterproof coating was damaged and water had seeped into the electric board in the pump room.
This resulted in a power trip, which cut off the water supply.
Water rationing system
Another resident, Huang, 44, told Shin Min that a temporary water distribution station was set up on the ground floor for residents to collect water if necessary.
Residents were seen queuing for water.
Town council’s response
The town council apologised for the inconvenience caused to residents.
It said it had conducted checks and flushed the external pipes.
Responding to Shin Min‘s queries, a spokesperson from the town council said a team of personnel were dispatched to deal with the disruption and provide residents with a temporary water supply.
The authorities said it had also investigated the reports of cloudy water, and said it was likely due to mineral deposits that settle naturally in the water tanks and pipes.
The authorities said an external pipe flush had been carried out throughout the flat and the gasket failure was being checked with the contractor.
Top photo via Shin Min reader
