Yew Tee resident finds holes in temporary HDB toilets

A Yew Tee resident became concerned after allegedly noticing 10 holes in the female toilets set up at an HDB block undergoing Home Improvement Programme (HIP) works.

Speaking to Stomp, the 33-year-old engineer, who only wished to be known as Ms S, said she entered the toilet cubicle, located on the ground floor of an HDB block along Choa Chu Kang Street 52, at around 9pm on July 8.

Ms S, who has been a tenant at the block for over two months, said she had removed her shirt to shower when she seemingly noticed movement behind a hole in the wall, which she described as an “eye blinking”.

Despite taking a closer look, Ms S said she could not make out what was behind the wall, prompting her to get over to the other side — apparently a storage area for workers.

As she was making her way over, she recalled hearing a locking sound from the door leading to the storage area. She also claimed that she saw the holes covered with masking tape as she peered through the gaps in the door.

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Ms S added that she discovered over 10 holes across three female toilets. As the holes were mostly located above the toilet or in the shower area, she suspected that they were deliberately situated for others to spy on female users.

Aluminium plates nailed to wall after resident lodged complaint

After realising that her privacy may have been breached, she informed her homeowner — 41-year-old Ezan — who rushed down to the scene, as well as the site supervisor and manager.

According to photos of the toilet that Ezan posted in the Friends of Yew Tee Facebook group, two holes were made in the walls of the cubicle — one above the toilet seat and another below the showerhead holder.

“I was so annoyed at the supervisor. I’m sure he is aware. Then he use the paper tape? I don’t know why. It could have been easily rectified,” Ms S said.

Ms S and the homeowner confirmed that the manager took action swiftly after being notified, and an aluminium plate was nailed to the other side of the wall within an hour. They added that the manager apologised repeatedly and assured them that the toilets would be replaced.

According to Ms S, the incident was also reported to the town council and the Housing and Development Board (HDB), and HDB officers visited the site a day later.

Renovations started 5 days before incident

The temporary toilets were set up on the ground floor of the HDB block amid Home Improvement Programme (HIP) works — a government-funded initiative aimed at resolving common maintenance problems in HDB flats.

Explaining that renovations started at his block on July 4, four days before the discovery, Ezan feared that unscrupulous acts could have taken place before the incident: “Maybe in the past days so many things have happened, maybe people video, we don’t know.”

Ezan added in a comment on the Facebook post that a CCTV was installed near the temporary toilets a day after the incident.

In a separate incident, a woman filed a police report after discovering holes in the wall of a temporary toilet at Block 536 Serangoon North Avenue 4, which was undergoing HIP works at the time.

Holes may be left behind when fittings are replaced: HDB

In response to Stomp’s queries, an HDB spokesperson said that the HIP contractor carried out a joint inspection of the toilet cubicle with the resident after receiving the feedback.

During the inspection, it was observed that the holes that the resident pointed out were patched up with a white silicone sealant.

The spokesperson stated that holes may be left behind when fittings such as clothes hangers, shower heads, and grab bars are replaced.

Daily checks are also conducted on the toilets, and the contractor’s inspection on the afternoon of July 8 — before the resident’s feedback in the evening — confirmed that all holes had been sealed.

“As an additional measure, after the resident’s feedback, the contractor has installed an aluminium plate at the rear of the toilet’s wall panel, to minimise the risk of any silicone sealant being tampered with,” the spokesperson said, confirming that a CCTV had been installed to monitor access to the enclosed area behind the toilets.