SINGAPORE \u2013 A water-pipe leak in Yishun caused flooding in the surrounding areas in the early hours of May 10, affecting about 25 shops in the Chong Pang neighbourhood.<\/p>\n
The underground pipe is near the junction of Block 101 Yishun Avenue 5 and Sembawang Road and the leak occurred at around 1am, national water agency PUB said in a Facebook post at 9.43am.<\/p>\n
It deployed a service crew to isolate the leak and repairs are ongoing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no disruption to water supply for homes and businesses in the area,\u201d it added.<\/p>\n
PUB is working with Nee Soon Town Council to carry out clean-up works in the affected areas, and is investigating the cause of the leak.<\/p>\n
Coordinating Minister for National Security K. Shanmugam, who is also an MP for Nee Soon GRC, told reporters that about 25 shops have been affected.<\/p>\n
He added that officers from Nee Soon Town Council had been in the area since 2am.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe cleaning up has taken some time because a substantive amount of water had come out,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Some shops have been affected more than others, he added. The owner of the furniture shop, for example, was worried that the products would be unusable if they had got wet and muddy.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will work with them and help them,\u201d Mr Shanmugam said.<\/p>\n
Mr Koh Chye Ghuan, chairman of the Chong Pang City Merchant and Hawker\u2019s Association, told reporters he was notified of the pipe leak at around 1am. Grassroots leaders and the town council were notified immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur priority is to help affected shop owners clear their stores so that they can resume their businesses quickly,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He added that the owner of a coffee shop under Block 101 told him it would be closed this morning because the water supply was too low.<\/p>\n
When The Straits Times arrived at the scene at around 12.50am, water was gushing out from the ground at an outdoor area near Block 101.<\/p>\n
The water had spread to the ground floor of the block and neighbouring Block 102 and appeared to affect several stores there.<\/p>\n
A photo of the POSB Yishun West branch showed that the lights were turned on within the bank and water had entered its premises.<\/p>\n At around 1am, water appeared to have entered the POSB Yishun West branch.<\/p>\n ST PHOTO: RHEA YASMINE<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n A resident of Block 101 who declined to be named told ST that residents could not return to their flats because of the flooding. \u201cI have half a mind to just take off my shoes and climb up the stairs.\u201d<\/p>\n The flooding also affected one of two lanes on Sembawang Road, before Yishun Avenue 7.<\/p>\n When ST visited the site again at around 10am, the water had been cleared from the area around Block 101.<\/p>\n Around 10 workers could be seen clearing mud and debris from the ground and moving merchandise away from affected stores.<\/p>\n Mr Eric Teo, who has been running hardware shop Fupizat Trading Co at Block 101 for over 40 years, said he found a lot of water outside and within his store at around 6am to 7am. Several cardboard boxes on the floor within his store had been soaked.<\/p>\n The 71-year-old said his business for the day would probably be affected as people stayed away from the affected area.<\/p>\n ST has contacted Nee Soon Town Council for more information.<\/p>\n Additional reporting by Rhea Yasmine<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/picture><\/div>