What's that smell? Bukit Batok residents alarmed over stinky liquid seeping through kitchen walls

One Bukit Batok resident was shocked to discover water seeping from the joints of her kitchen wall when she woke up on the morning of July 29.

Not only that, the water that dripped down from the wall was yellow in colour and carried a putrid smell, said the resident, Zhong Xiaohui (transliteration).

Zhong, 54, told Lianhe Zaobao that as she lives on the top floor of the HDB block, she suspected that the leakage was due to an ongoing project to change the rooftop water storage tank.

She shared that the project began on May 23 this year and is due to be completed in three months' time.

"We live on the 12th floor, which is the highest floor. We weren't sure whether the leak was due to the changing of the water tank, so we contacted the town council. However, they did not send anyone down to handle it," said Zhong in an earlier complaint to the Chinese-language broadsheet.

To contain the leak, Zhong and her family at first lined their kitchen table which is against the wall with hand towels. When that failed, they came up with another solution — using plastic bags to "catch" the water.

"We used seven towels to try and absorb the water, but it wasn't effective as we had to constantly wring the water out. As we're all working, we don't have the time to monitor the situation," said Zhong.

As a temporary measure, they then decided to paste plastic bags along the wall to collect the dirty water.

"It looks like we're rearing fish at home!" Zhong exclaimed in an interview with Lianhe Zaobao.

The amount of water collected within a 12-hour period was enough to fill a small pail, said Zhong, with the water emanating an unbearable smell.

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Occasionally, new leaks are also discovered and time would have to be spent cleaning and wiping the area, said Zhong,

In addition to the wet floor posing a safety hazard, Chong and her family are also worried that that the water might damage the electrical appliances placed against the wall. They also wondered if the power sockets would be affected, leading to short circuits.

Zhong told Lianhe Zaobao that the kitchen wall cabinets are already showing some signs of damage.

"The stubborn watermark stains that get left behind can only be scraped off with a knife," she complained. "There are also water stains around the electrical outlets. It makes us feel scared when we have to use it."

Neighbour shares similar experience

But theirs is not an isolated incident.

Zhong's next-door neighbour, identified by the Chinese paper as Ellie, shared that they have also experienced water seeping through the joints in their kitchen wall. This has happened about once a week for the past three weeks, shared the 37-year-old cashier.

Whenever it rains, the seepage will be even more severe. But as the leaks don't always happen, Ellie shared that they have not contacted the town council.

Lianhe Zaobao stated that based on a notice by the Jurong-Clementi Town Council, works to replace the water storage tank will be carried out from May 23 to Aug 30.

In a reply to Zhong on Aug 3, the town council stated that they will only be sending personnel to conduct an inspection on Aug 18.

When contacted by Lianhe Zaobao on Aug 5, however, the town council stated that the person in charge would be meeting with the contractor on Aug 7 to check on the case.

Zhong shared that the town council personnel said the leaks were not caused by the replacement of the water storage tank and will continue to monitor the situation. The town council had also inspect the electrical outlets in the home to ensure that there are no leaks.

Zhong was told to contact the town council immediately if the situation worsens especially if it rains, as this would help to more accurately identify the source of the leak.

In their report, Lianhe Zaobao stated that they had contacted the town council for more information but have yet to receive a reply as of writing.

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