HDB & PUB Respond to FB Post About ‘Nightmare’ Flat That Smells & Even Causes Skin Infections

If you’re a regular Facebook user, you’d have come across this shocking post in recent days:

We believe it got viral just yesterday as we only received tip-offs about this from our readers late last night.

It’s a lengthy post filled with images (i.e. evidence), and because I know you’re reading this in the toilet and might not have ten minutes to go through everything, I’ll do the honour of summarising for you while you squeeze your next chocolate cake out.

The Facebook user claims that her new DBSS flat, which is not a flat built by a bank but an HDB flat that’s a tad better than the usual HDB flat, is a nightmare to stay in.

She has moved in since 2015, and these are the problems it caused:

• Toilet will smell very badly when her neighbours above and below are using the toilet, too
• Toilet will be very hot when her neighbours are taking hot showers
• Those smells caused bacteria to build up in the toilet and the floor
• Tap water in bathroom will be dirty when neighbours are using the toilet
• Kitchen tap water got dirty from July 2019, which she alleged could be sewage water from her neighbours
• She alleged the bacteria caused infections on her skin, and even posted images of her infections

Scary, isn’t it?

According to her, she has contacted the authorities for help:

• PUB alleged that bacteria were found in tap water and didn’t help further
• HDB allegedly checked and found something but didn’t help further

She then went on to say, “What pains us most in our search for help is finding society here lack compassion and honesty.”

Now, this is such a strong allegation that if you’re indeed reading this in the toilet, you’re feeling bad that your chocolate cake could be sent to the folks who’re living just below you.

Well, don’t; continue to enjoy yourself, because PUB and HDB have responded.

PUB & HDB Respond to Allegations

You can’t expect HDB and PUB to stay silent after such allegations were made. If not, people won’t dare to shit anymore.

PUB responded first at 12pm today (14 July 2020) in a Facebook post. They claimed that the FB user has been having the problem in three different residences.

Either she’s really unlucky or we really shouldn’t use the toilet from now on.

Each time they sent their officers to her premises, they found nothing wrong. There was also no pipe leak. Also, residents in other units don’t have such issue.

Here’s what they’ve written lest you can’t read:

We are aware of a post by Ms Geraldine Tang who has alleged that her tap water is contaminated by bacteria especially when her neighbours flush the toilets, and that this has caused her skin problems.

PUB has been attending to her feedback on water issues at three different residences since 2013. Each time, PUB officers had promptly gone to her flat to collect water samples for testing and checked on the watermains serving her estate. We also collected water samples from the PUB watermain, high level water tank and the distributing pipe in her block for tests. Our test results showed that the water quality was satisfactory. We also checked Ms Tang’s sanitary system in her toilet and noted that the system was in order, with no defects. For the most recent feedback in Jun 2020, we checked the watermains and conducted water quality checks at the sampling points in the same supply zone. There was also no similar feedback from residents in other units in her estate.

We have repeatedly explained to Ms Tang that the many rounds of investigations and tests have shown that the water supplied to her is entirely satisfactory and safe for drinking. PUB had conducted leak detection work at her premises and found no service pipe leak within her premises. We had advised that she follow up with the developer to rectify any water seepage issue.

PUB maintains a strict monitoring regime at every step to ensure that tap water is safe for consumption. Water samples from consumers’ taps are also tested daily.

One minute later, HDB responded as well.

HDB used the word that PUB hasn’t used: they said it is “untrue” that the authorities haven’t taken actions to address her concerns.

Similar to PUB, they’ve being contacted by the FB user for three different flats, and the outcome was the same.

But HDB found something else.

An Indoor Air Quality specialist from HDB had reported that the windows and doors in the flat were constantly closed, which led to poor ventilation. Multiple cleaning chemicals were also used to clean the floor, and that, together with the poor ventilation, could’ve caused the microbial growth within the flat. The specialist advised the FB user to ventilate the flat but the advice wasn’t heeded.

Here’s the post by HDB:

We are aware of online discussions regarding alleged leaks within a DBSS flat, which the owner claims resulted in odours and contamination of the water supply. The owner, Ms Tang, has said that government agencies, including HDB, did not take action to address the issues within her flat. This is untrue.

Multiple site inspections have been carried out since Ms Tang first reported her issues in 2015. The investigations revealed no defects in the sewage system or other areas, which could possibly cause the alleged foul smell within the flat. PUB had also tested water samples from her flat, which showed that the water is safe for drinking.

An Indoor Air Quality specialist who had inspected the flat, reported that windows and doors in the flat were constantly closed, resulting in poor ventilation as well as high temperature and humidity within the flat. It was also observed that multiple cleaning chemicals were used to disinfect the floor and wash the walls of the flat. The specialist concluded that the microbial growth within the flat is likely a result of the poor ventilation and excessive washing over time. Ms Tang, however, did not heed the advice of the specialist to ventilate the flat.

Prior to her current flat, Ms Tang had also reported similar issues in two previous flats. In all of these cases, our inspections found the fittings and materials to be in order.

We have not received similar feedback from other residents in Ms Tang’s precinct.

To keep the walls in good condition, residents are advised not to wash the flat with excessive water, and to use a damp cloth to remove any dirt and stains on the walls instead. For good ventilation, they should keep their windows open after washing the floors.

So, what could’ve happened? You’re already done with your toilet business, so let’s end it here.

But if you’ve McSpicy earlier and are sitting down again, then here’s a video (one about how you shouldn’t see things the way people want you to see) for you to watch and while your time away: