Ghim Moh resident frustrated by cluttered riser compartments, concerned over safety

Frustrated by the cluttered HDB riser compartments allegedly caused by his neighbour, a Ghim Moh resident has been reporting the issue to the town council since 2019.

But it seems to be an ongoing problem with no resolution in sight.

Back in January 2019, the resident, who declined to be named, discovered that the HDB riser compartment on the 25th floor of Block 33 Ghim Moh Link was filled with various miscellaneous items such as a suitcase, a chair, baby toys and more, 8world reported last Saturday (Aug 19).

He suspected that his neighbour who lived on the same floor was responsible for the clutter and had reported the incident to the Holland-Bukit Panjang Town Council. 

At the request of the town council, the items were cleared in November 2019 and the matter seemed to have been resolved as the riser compartments stayed clutter-free for a year after the incident.

However, his neighbour allegedly started using the riser compartments as storage space again in 2021, leading to repeated reports from the resident and requests from the town council for the items to be disposed of.

The man would reportedly comply and remove the items but would fill the compartments with miscellaneous items again shortly afterwards.

"Looking at this [riser] back and forth, I feel mentally exhausted," the resident said.

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According to the resident, he had last made a complaint about the issue in January this year but to no avail.

However, the resident filed another complaint after a fire broke out in a nearby Ghim Moh HDB block last Wednesday, citing concerns that the clutter could hinder the work of firefighters. The town council had reportedly requested the man to dispose of the items on the same day.

When an 8world reporter went down to the HDB block, they discovered that other risers across 27 floors of the 38-storey building were also filled with various items.

All nine riser compartments on the first floor, including one with a hose reel compartment, were full of bulky items such as furniture, suitcases, boxes and more.

The only floors with unobstructed risers were the second, sixth, 11th, 12th, 14th, 15th, 18th, 31st, 32rd, 33rd and 38th floors. It was unclear if the items placed in the different riser compartments belonged to the same person.

When the neighbour accused of obstructing the HDB riser was approached by 8world, he said that the items placed in the riser compartments were "useless" and "garbage".

When questioned about why he did not dispose of the "useless" items, he replied: "You can throw it away."

The man also said that he was not a karang guni (rag-and-bone man) and denied that the items placed in the riser compartments on the other floors belonged to him.

In a statement made to 8world, Member of Parliament Christopher de Souza said that the town council will stop the accumulation of items in HDB riser compartments.

A spokesperson for Holland-Bukit Panjang Town Council also noted that the town council will step up efforts to educate the public about the situation and would like to request for residents to not store personal items in the riser compartment as it may hinder firefighting efforts and evacuation efforts during emergencies.

According to the Singapore Civil Defence Force's fire safety guidelines, access to fire-safety or firefighting provisions should not be impeded. Items should not be placed or stored in the dry and wet riser compartment, nor within the hose reel compartment.

ALSO READ: Town Council removes clutter outside Bedok HDB unit after resident fails to clear them

lim.kewei@asiaone.com