There’s a Big Hole on the Ceiling of an AMK HDB Lift Lobby; Residents Suspect It’s Caused by Rats

By
Chew Ming Hui
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Many of us probably loved the Ratatouille movie when it hit the box office nearly two decades ago — a rat that cooks; how adorable is that?

But regardless of how much you loved the movie, you have to admit that rats cause quite a headache in real life. Ang Mo Kio residents probably know this best — this month, a big hole was found in the ceiling of an Ang Mo Kio HDB lift lobby, and residents suspect that it was caused by rats.

Gaping Hole Found in Ceiling of Ang Mo Kio HDB Lift Lobby

Earlier this month, on 12 October, some Ang Mo Kio residents were pleasantly surprised to be greeted by a large hold in the ceiling as they walked into the lift lobby.

Image: Lianhe Zaobao

The gaping hole was found in the ceiling of the lift lobby at Block 108, Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4.

Image: Google Maps

According to Lianhe Zaobao, a 33-year-old man shared that the hole was caused by a partial collapse of the ceiling around 11 am. He had just exited the lift when he heard a strange noise behind him — after turning around, he saw that part of the ceiling had collapsed, forming a hole.

As a result, a large hole that comes up to the size of roughly 2 metres by 2 metres is now in the lift lobby’s ceiling. Pipes and electrical wiring initially hidden within the ceiling have been exposed as well.

Hole in the wall — no, hole in the ceiling. Singapore edition.

The Ang Mo Kio Town Council has since removed the debris from the collapsed ceiling and has also engaged a contractor to repair the hole in the ceiling.

Ceiling repairs are expected to be completed by the end of October.

AMK Residents Suspect Ceiling Collapse Was Caused By Rat Infestation

Now, the million-dollar question — what was the ceiling collapse caused by? Was it just a case of “tofu walls” (or in this case, “tofu ceilings”) or was there a deeper problem at hand?

According to Lianhe Zaobao, the suspect at the top of many residents’ lists is the rat infestation in the area. Many residents interviewed by Lianhe Zaobao have reported seeing rats in the area.

For one, a 34-year-old employee at a nearby grocery store shared that rats would usually scurry from their burrows in the neighbourhood carparks to the coffee shops nearby.

Perhaps the rats watched Ratatouille, and are trying to become zi char chefs.

“The rats even climb into the ceilings. We often hear them running above us, and sometimes one even falls through,” he added.

A 28-year-old Western food stall vendor at the block’s coffee shop added that the rat infestation in the area had worsened over the past three months.

Further, the 33-year-old man who witnessed the ceiling collapse shared with Lianhe Zaobao that he saw black particles resembling rat droppings falling out of the ceiling.

So, it won’t be that surprising if the ceiling collapse truly was caused by rat droppings lah.

Ang Mo Kio Town Council: No Evidence Currently Linking the Ceiling Collapse to Rats

So, what does the Ang Mo Kio Town Council have to say about residents’ suspicions?

Well, the town council has shared that there is currently no evidence linking the ceiling collapse to rats. Regardless, it stated that it would keep a close eye on the situation and take the necessary measures to ensure residents’ safety and wellbeing.

However, this is not to say that the town council does not recognise the broader rat infestation problem in the vicinity.

In response to the rat infestation, the town council has sent a pest control team to carry out investigations and is also conducting further inspections in collaboration with the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) and National Environment Agency (NEA).

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Chew Ming Hui
Email: [email protected]