White Christmas? Foamy water flows out of drain, soaks Ang Mo Kio HDB flat

[UPDATED, Dec 30]

In response to AsiaOne's queries, an Ang Mo Kio Town Council (AMKTC) spokesperson said that they are aware of Ng’s case.

The flooding was caused by the blockage of a Rain Water Down Pipe (RWDP), according to plumbers dispatched to clear the choked drain, said the town council.

The plumbers were sent to the unit following the notification from the affected resident on 25 December 2023.

"AMKTC has assisted the same resident in clearing the blockage issue since October 2023, when the resident made the first report," the spokesperson said.

When another similar complaint was received from the same unit in November 2023, the town council said they decided to conduct a further inspection of the units below level six.

"We discovered that the leading cause was due to the blockage in the RWDP in one of the units and have since liaised with the unit's owner to arrange the replacement of the RWDP," the spokesperson said.

The replacement is scheduled to take place after the Chinese New Year holiday in 2024 and affected residents have been notified.

AMKTC said that it will follow up closely on both residents after the Chinese New Year holiday.

It became a white Christmas of sorts after an elderly couple in Ang Mo Kio found parts of their flat flooded when foamy water flowed out of from their balcony drain.

Ng, 77, and his wife Li, 74, noticed that foamy water was continuously seeping out from their balcony drain on Monday (Dec 25).

As a result, the balcony and parts of the living room of their sixth-floor unit at Block 710, Ang Mo Kio Ave 8 were flooded for about 2 hours.

Speaking to AsiaOne, Ng suspects that the cause of this incident was a blockage in the drainpipe and heavy rain on Monday.

The couple said they immediately contacted the Ang Mo Kio Town Council for help and eventually, two plumbers were sent over to dredge it.

The drain stopped spewing water only after it was dredged and the foamy water flooding the flat receded shortly.

Not their first rodeo

This is the third time since September this year that they have had this issue, but previous instances were not as severe, Ng told Shin Min Daily News. 

However, Ng and Li are starting to get worried.

"Every time there's a blockage, we ask people to fix it, but what if no one's at home? What do we do?" Ng told Shin Min Daily News.

"This feels like a temporary measure and not the permanent solution," he added.

Although no valuables were affected, cardboard boxes, magazines and other items kept at the balcony were all reportedly soaked and had to be disposed of. 

When an AsiaOne reporter was at the unit today at around 12pm, the area inside was dry and there were no puddles or visible water stains.

Ng also told AsiaOne that no other units on his floor seemed to have this issue. Neighbours of his we spoke to echoed his statement.

Ng added that the town council informed him that the cause of the drain spewing water was due to a pipe being blocked in a unit downstairs and that they are looking into the matter.

"For now, it's okay. We just have to wait and hope there's no rain," he said.

• Additional reporting by Neo Shaocong

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bhavya.rawat@asiaone.com