You might be familiar with the phrase, “The sky is falling!”
While Chicken Little might be a distant memory to many of us, this mother’s literal sight of her ceiling falling onto her six-year-old child is not.
According to an updated from Stomp, HDB has stepped into the matter to assist the mother and child in clearing the fallen concrete and has offered to bear the cost of the repair.
A Recap: “The Worst Nightmare”
The mother of the six-year-old boy, known through Facebook by the name of Syasha Danial Alissa, posted pictures of her son’s bloodied back as a result of the incident.
What she had described as “the worst nightmare” occured when the ceiling of their rental flat gave way as her son was innocently playing with water.
Subsequent updates from the mother suggested that the boy’s injuries had since been treated.
In another update, she said that the authorities, including the police, and the Housing Development Board (HDB) had arrived for investigations at her place.
The cause of the incident was found to be because of “spalling concrete”. The following is apparently very common, especially amongst older HDB blocks.
HDB to Bear Cost of Repair For Incident
HDB reported that it had received an alert of a “spalling concrete” incident on Tuesday afternoon and they attended to the case on the same day.
They told Stomp: “This is a natural wear and tear process which occurs in older buildings, such as this flat which is 45 years old. It tends to occur more frequently in moisture-prone areas such as the kitchen and bathrooms, where the humidity will speed up the carbonation process, which causes spalling concrete.
“However, spalling concrete is non-structural in nature and will not affect the building’s structural integrity.
“We have helped the family to clear the debris arising from the spalling concrete, and will be carrying out repair works in the flat on Friday. As this is a rental flat, HDB will bear the cost of repair,” said HDB.
So yes, HDB is bearing the cost of repair as it’s a rental flat. If it’s your own flat, you’d have to fork out the repair cost yourself.
HDB to Carry Out Necessary Repairs For HDB Rental Units
HDB added that spalling concrete in HDB flats are often minor and can be easily repaired.
They also suggested for flat owners to check frequently on signs of spalling concrete as early detection could prevent the situation from worsening over time.
“In the event rental tenants discover any defects such as spalling concrete or ceiling leak, tenants should report to HDB so that HDB can carry out the necessary repairs,” said HDB.
Flat owners may choose to follow this step-by-step guide on how to rid your ceiling off spalling concrete.
Alternatively, they may also call upon a professional to get the job done. More information on such repair works are available on HDB InfoWEB.
Remember to check your ceilings, folks!
You can watch this video whereby my colleague gives some advice on how to prevent a spalling concrete (and also remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel, please!):
Here’s a simplified summary of the South Korea martial law that even a 5-year-old would understand:
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