S’pore Blogger Feels Ashamed at S’poreans’ Nasty Behaviour At Sembawang Hot Springs Park

It’s only been a few days since the newly redeveloped Sembawang Hot Springs Park reopened and we’ve already heard quite a lot of comments about the place. More specifically, about the people who have visited the place since the reopening. And let me just say that the comments aren’t all good.

One blogger called Petunia Lee shared her experience on her blog which was posted on 7 January when she visited the park in hopes of feeling refreshed and revitalised. Instead, she left feeling disgusted and ashamed.

Well, here’s why.

It all started when she entered and saw a domestic helper bending down and washing her employers’ feet for them.

Her entry wrote, “She fetched water. She bent down and splashed water over her employers’ feet and calves. Those people did not look handicapped. They probably have delusions of royalty.”

People could soak their feet in a communal pool and you would usually think that people would have the courtesy to wash their feet “thoroughly with soap before dipping”. Unfortunately, this was not observed when Lee was there.

“If the temperature of the water was comfortable for feet, then it surely is comfortable for fungal growth. There is no way I will put my feet into that pool for fear of catching a fungal infection. Remember, there is no chlorine nor other disinfectants in that water.”

This is scary seeing as to how many people have actually soaked their feet in the water. Even if one did wash their feet thoroughly, they may still risk themselves getting an infection as long as everyone else doesn’t wash theirs.

One 31-year-old woman told Shin Min Daily News that one’s feet are bound to be dirty after walking around to get to the cascading pool and it’s only right that they wash their feet before entering the pool.

It was previously hyped that visitors can cook their eggs at the park using the hot water that can be collected at the water collection points.

Excited about this feature of the park, Lee brought two eggs along with her on her trip. However, while she was trying to cook her eggs, an inconsiderate old man simply emptied his pail of feet soaking water into her pail with her eggs.

From the pictures, it seemed like there were many drains for people to empty their dirty water in, but for some reason, not many people made use of that. They instead poured their dirty water back into the clean water, contaminating it.

Shin Min Daily News also caught sight of two men washing their feet and letting the dirty water drip back into the clean water source as if that was the only way to do it.

If they didn’t empty their dirty water back into the cascading pool, they would empty it on the ground and make a wet mess out of it.

Parents whose kids ran around the park were also urged to not let their kids enter back into the pool to play without washing their feet because this made the water even dirtier.

Some of the kids also played in the pool by splashing water around, causing the seating area and ground to be very wet. This makes it difficult for those who just want to sit by the pool and chill out.

Apparently, other than the dirt in the water, eggshells could also be found at the bottom of the pool, according to one visitor’s complaint on NParks’ Facebook page.

It seems that even though this place is newly reopened, it’s only a matter of time before people stop visiting because of how dirty the place has become. Lee expressed how beautiful the place was, but she was ultimately disappointed by the people she met there.

She even said, “At times like this, I am so ashamed of being Singaporean.”

Honestly, I’m sure many are too after seeing this.

Hopefully, after seeing all these complaints online, people become more considerate and make this place a much better one together.