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Family Can’t Sleep in Room Due to “Flood” Caused by Toilet Drain That Plumbers Can’t Resolve

2023-04-26 , 7:27 pm

Last Updated on 2023-05-04 , 9:48 am

If there’s one thing good about staying at home, it’s that you’ll always be kept nice and dry even when it’s raining heavily outside.

Well, unless the water isn’t coming from outside but within.

And it seems like a family living at a condominium in Bukit Panjang is experiencing just that, and it’s not because they’re constantly in the condominium’s swimming pool.

In fact, their toilet drain seems to be the culprit of this “flooding” issue that they have had to put up with in recent months

Problem Only Started Seven Years After Moving In; Plumber Couldn’t Fix the Issue

When speaking to Shin Min Daily News, 61-year-old Li Yongqiang (Hanyu pinyin) explained that he first moved into Blossom Residences around seven years ago with his elderly mother and younger sister.

Blossom Residences, which is located in Segar, Bukit Panjang, is a condominium complex with a 99-year leasehold.

According to him, they experienced no issues with the property until 1 February this year when the unit “flooded” due to a blocked water pipe.

Mr Li recalled how he and his family noticed a sudden gush of sewage water from the toilet drain that afternoon, prompting them to contact the condominium’s management.

However, they were told that they would have to source for a plumber themselves.

Additionally, the first three plumbers that Mr Li and his family contacted chose to turn the job down after learning more about the situation.

When the family finally found a plumber willing to take on the job, the plumber was unsuccessful in clearing the blockage in the water pipe.

The plumber also mentioned that the unit’s sewage situation might have been caused by the external water pipes connected to the drain, so they had to contact the condominium’s management to access the interior blueprints.

In response, the management told Mr Li back then that there was a blockage in the external water pipe of his condominium block.

Since Mr Li’s unit happened to be the last one in his block, the sewage would come out of his drain whenever it flowed backwards.

Had to Move Mother’s “Bed” to the Balcony

After the flooding incident, Mr Li found out that the wooden floors in the rooms had peeled and that his home was filled with a stench.

As a result, he and his sister had to place a bench and stools on the unit’s balcony for their mother, who is in her 80s, to sleep and rest there.

Mr Li added that his mother is wheelchair-bound and was hospitalised last year due to pulmonary edema.

According to him, the small amount of space available for his mother to move caused her to develop bedsores on her behind.

As for him and his sister, they took turns sleeping on the sofa for around one and a half months.

“Flooding” Happened Again in March at Night, Had to Move to Serviced Apartment

Unfortunately, the issue didn’t end there.

Around one and a half months after the first flooding incident, the water pipes in Mr Li’s unit got blocked again in mid-March.

This time, the blockage happened at around 9 pm.

After seeing another “flood” accumulating in the unit’s bedroom, Mr Li and his sister decided that they had had enough.

They immediately started finding a serviced apartment for them to move into and notified a plumber again to fix the issue.

Mother Got Injured While Living in Serviced Apartment

However, living in a serviced apartment also came with its own set of issues for Mr Li and his family.

After moving into the serviced apartment, Mr Li’s mother fell from the bed while sleeping at night as she was not used to the new environment.

The fall required her to be sent to the Emergency Department for medical treatment.

Mr Li also said that his mother has seemed depressed over the past few months due to their living situation.

Additionally, his mother has needed to do regular breathing and physiotherapy exercises since being discharged from the hospital last September. However, the flooding issue has completely disrupted her routine since February.

Neighbours Helped to Get Rid of Sewage Water

But if there’s a silver lining in this incident, it’s that Mr Li’s neighbours helped him and his family get rid of the sewage water during the first “flooding” in February.

Regarding that incident, Mr Li recounted how sewage water travelled from the drains in the toilet and kitchen into the living room and bedrooms.

Additionally, it was already 11 pm when the management finally brought a plumber to the unit.

Thankfully, multiple neighbours came forth to help Mr Li and his family sweep the sewage water out of their unit.

Mr Li then mentioned that the management informed residents not to through things into the sewer afterwards.

However, he pointed out that the management should have done more, especially since two “flooding” incidents in his unit occurred within less than two months.

“Flooding” Expected to Incur $50,000 in Damages

Besides the inconvenience brought about by the flooding, Mr Li revealed that it has brought about a large amount of damage to his unit.

Although the flooding issue was resolved within two days, the follow-up actions have also caused Mr Li much vexation.

Apart from the stench, Mr Li also expressed concern about possible hygiene issues that the flooding might have caused.

The walls ended up with water stains and black spots, while the wooden flooring ended up “bulging” and became raised after being soaked in water.

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Aside from being damp, the flooring has become extremely fragile and shatters when stepped on.

All the damaged floorings in the unit have been removed, and the family will receive reimbursements for the room’s flooring from the condominium’s management.

However, they still need to wait for the management’s instructions and approval before they start any renovation work.

Additionally, not all losses can be recuperated through the management’s compensation.

Based on what Mr Li said, he would need to throw away the cabinets and electrical appliances that were soaked during the flooding.

In total, along with the cost of renting a serviced apartment and his mother’s medical expenses, Mr Li said that the estimated damage caused is around $50,000.