News

Contractor at Punggol HDB Flat Allegedly Treated the Ground Floor as a Rubbish Chute

2022-06-19 , 12:03 pm

Even though we don’t technically live at the block of our HDB blocks, most of us would probably agree that we pass by it in one way or another on a daily basis.

And it goes without saying that we’d expect our void decks to be safe and clean, because who wants to walk through a dirty void deck every day?

Well, it seems like residents of an HDB block in Punggol have been.

Void Deck of HDB Block Looks Like Rubbish Chute

In images first shared to the Complaint Singapore Facebook group, a Facebook user claimed that there was a large amount of rubbish piled up near the rubbish chute area and car park entrance of Waterway Sunrise Blk 657A.

For those who don’t live in the area, Waterway Sunrise is a newly-completed Build-to-Order (BTO) project. Residents have started to move in recently.

However, instead of excitement at beginning a new journey in their new homes, many residents were soon plagued with worry over the obvious mess at their block’s void deck.

In particular, the Facebook user brought up how the rubbish might be a fire hazard.

And it’s not difficult to see why.

In the photos attached, abandoned wood planks, furniture, as well as renovation and construction materials were strewn all around.

Shin Min Daily News also reported that there the car park was dusty, and that there were items such as styrofoam and plastic sheets taking up parking lots in the car park.

Apart from that, there were also multiple cardboard boxes and plywood piling up at the walkway leading to the HDB block.

Reporters from Shin Min who went down to the block also observed that there were cleaners who were cleaning up the area as well.

Residents’ Opinions

When speaking to Shin Min, the majority of the residents were clearly concerned about the possible issues that might arise due to the rubbish in the void deck area.

Mrs Xu, a resident of the block, said that the rain might cause the cardboard boxes to become damp or cause pools of stagnant water to form in the area, increasing the rate of Aedes mosquitos breeding in the area.

In addition to that, she mentioned that the sharp items found in the car park such as nails might accidentally cause residents to get injured as well.

She added that there should be a plan to carry out the disposal of these rubbish items, and that it would be best if the relevant authorities could follow up by providing ways to deal with the items and to help with the sorting of items.

Mrs Xu also recalled that the rubbish disposal was carried out quite efficiently in the past, but it has clearly not been the case as of late.

Another resident expressed their worries regarding water leakage at the block and added that this might cause the car park area to become a hotspot for the breeding of Aedes mosquitoes.

Apart from that, they also revealed that the items left behind by construction or renovation work such as ladders have also been placed at the stairwells, which residents will have to pass by in the case of an emergency.

The resident even questioned if the residents were expected to live together in their new houses with the rubbish and criticised those who were involved.

Contractor Suddenly Withdrew Placement of Rubbish Containers

And if you’re wondering what exactly caused the state of the HDB block’s void deck to end up like this, there might be some answers to that.

Apparently, the contractor responsible for the block had arranged for large rubbish containers to be placed at the block in order to collect the rubbish for disposal.

However, the contractor suddenly withdrew the placement of six of these containers.

This meant that there was nowhere else for the rubbish to be collected, causing the mess that residents have had to put up with.

Town Council’s Arrangement for Contractor to Dispose of Rubbish

Thankfully, it seems like the residents in the area will soon have a clean void deck and car park.

Shin Min reported that the Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council has since been informed about the situation, and will be taking the necessary actions to ensure that the rubbish is properly disposed of.

Apart from appointing another contractor to assist in the disposal of rubbish in the area, the Town Council will also be deploying more manpower to the area to aid in the rubbish disposal as well.

Additionally, the Town Council will be installing Closed-Circuit Security Cameras (CCTVs) to prevent any other renovators from littering the area with their abandoned waste.

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Issue Regarding Renovators Leaving Waste Items Instead of Disposing of THem

When Shin Min visited the block, reporters observed that there were four to five renovators entering and exiting the elevators.

Some of these renovators had trolleys with them and tried to leave some of their waste items at the void deck of the block before leaving, but were stopped by cleaners in the area.