Under The Angsana Tree: SG Buildings Crumbling Down Parody

Elderly man sings about S'pore's 'crumbling buildings' in witty video

A witty video featuring an elderly man pointing out Singapore's building defects has emerged on YouTube.

In the clip, the man adapts the lyrics of popular children's nursery rhyme "London Bridge Is Falling Down" to emphasise the point of Singapore's "crumbling buildings".

At the start of the video, the man is seen standing outside Jem, which made headlines in 2013 when a leaking water pipe caused the mall's ceiling to collapse, injuring 3.

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Air-conditioner compressor fell on man

Update 29 Feb 2020: Ceiling concrete slab falls in toilet of old Toa Payoh flat, narrowly misses domestic worker

Mr Alan Fu estimated that the fallen piece of concrete in his father’s flat must have weighed around 10kg and measured about half a metre in length

A foreign domestic worker in her 20s was just about to clean the toilet of a Toa Payoh flat when a huge chunk of the ceiling broke off and smashed into the toilet bowl.

“It was a close call for her… We really have to count our blessings,” Mr Alan Fu told TODAY on Thursday (Feb 27).

On Wednesday, the 55-year-old IT manager received a phone text message from the domestic helper when he was at the foot of the public housing block and went into a bit of a panic.

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Concrete slab estimated to be 10kg collapses from a HDB flat ceiling in Toa Payoh; netizens shared their own concrete experiences

A huge block of concrete collapsed from the ceiling in a Housing and Development Board (HDB) flat toilet at Toa Payoh when a foreign domestic helper was about to clean the toilet, TODAY reported on Thursday (27 February).

The incident occurred on Wednesday (26 February) at around 5pm.

According to TODAY, IT manager Alan Fu, 55, said the domestic helper informed him about the incident via text message when he was at the foot of the public housing block.

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Wall tiles in HDB kitchens & bathrooms suddenly crack & pop

Following reports of “exploding” floor tiles in Housing Development Board (HDB) public housing units, homeowners have been highlighting that the tiles on the walls of their units are also becoming dislodged and falling off the walls in alarming new reports.

More homeowners have reported that the wall tiles in their kitchens and bathrooms have been popping up and becoming dislodged, after this video of wall tiles falling off the kitchen wall in a HDB flat began circulating online.

The homeowner or tenant who shot the video appears to have posted the video online anonymously but claims that the unit featured in the video is a 20-year-old HDB flat located in Jurong West and that the tiles came loose a few months before the video was shot so they secured it with tape before that measure too failed. Others reported experiencing the same thing in their homes after the video was shared on social media.

related: Floor tiles suddenly crack with explosive sounds at yet another HDB flat

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Floor tiles in some HDB flats popping up or cracking

Tiles shattered in the living room of a Fernvale flat. FOTO: COURTESY OF JOHNSON NG

Residents of HDB flats in several areas who found tiles in their homes popping up or cracked are advised to move them to a safe spot & cover the affected space with cardboard.

The Housing Board also said in a Facebook post yesterday that it was aware of the cases reported in Sengkang, Woodlands, Toa Payoh, Bukit Panjang & Jurong West.

Residents of these places had posted on Facebook over the weekend videos and photos of dislodged tiles, mostly on their floors.

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Rise in major breakdowns but MRT gets more reliable

Under mounting pressure over transport inefficiencies and lack of transparency, former army general Chew Men Leong resigned from the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on August 6. His 22-month-long tenure as CEO was the shortest in the history of Singapore’s civil service.

“[In the coming months] I will be making a change of career over to the private sector,” commented Chew Men Leong on his decision, but it is believed that his departure from LTA had been sped up by frequent MRT failures and public dissatisfaction with increasing fares.

The failing system - Since gaining independence in 1965, Singapore has undergone a rapid urbanisation. The island city-state’s total area measures only 274 square miles and it is currently inhabited by 5,7 million people, making it one of the most densely populated territories in the world.

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MRT from "Rolling Stock To Laughing Stock"

The public scolding that Singapore’s public transport tsars handed down this week to a handful of rail maintenance workers over a large-scale breakdown is raising questions about where the buck stops in the management of the Lion City’s metro network, as rival Asian metropolises like Hong Kong and Taiwan pull ahead with superior train reliability.

In a rare move, transport minister Khaw Boon Wan on Monday criticised workers in charge of anti-flood measures at the metro operator SMRT Corp, after an October 7 flood in a underground tunnel near the suburban Bishan station caused a near 20-hour disruption to parts of the rail network. It was one of Singapore’s worst ever rail breakdowns.

A mechanism designed to remove stormwater from the tunnel failed to work because it was poorly maintained. Khaw said the maintenance team had “failed us”, and urged the metro operator to “nail down who [is] responsible”. “I look to SMRT to do what is right … something must happen to the staff,” Khaw said.

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Ensure structural safety of HDB blocks before injury or death result

A decorative panel fell 40 storeys from an HDB block in Bendemeer Road "with a loud crash” next to a playground. And this is not the first such incident. Just days before, a part of an HDB block's decorative cladding fell off its facade at Block 270 in Pasir Ris town. A resident said that it sounded like a “very loud cluster of thunder.”

Again, HDB and the Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council gave the standard non-answer that “a piece of decorative cladding had dislodged from the facade" of the block and that “the building is structurally safe.” There were several other similar incidents:

25 September 2016, a concrete slab broke off from Block 201E at Tampines
19 October 2016, a cladding panel fell off Block 51, Circuit Road
29 November 2016, a slab of plaster fell 12 storeys from an HDB block in Hougang
1 April 2017, two aluminium panels fell off an HDB block at Indus Road

The authorities said that the cladding panels broke off due to wear and tear. But the buildings involved are relative new. Yet, pieces are breaking off and endangering public safety. HDB blocks have also been plagued with faulty lifts that have resulted in residents being injured including one death.

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Spate of facade cladding falling off

Decorative panel falls from HDB block again, this time in Bendemeer

Don’t forget your industrial-strength umbrella when you walk home these couple of days because it’s been cloudy with a chance of falling metal in Singapore. Decorative fixtures in particular.

A panel fell 40 stories from the top of an HDB block in Bendemeer Road last Saturday evening (June 23) around 7pm, The Straits Times reported. It fell onto a grass patch near a playground, according to a witness. While no one was hurt, the ground area beneath the facade was cordoned off as a precaution. HDB and the Jalan Besar Town Council also said they plan to perform checks on nearby blocks with similar facade materials. “The panel is part of the block facade design and is non-structural,” said the Housing Board in a Tuesday statement to The Straits Times. “The building is structurally safe.”

The Bendemeer road incident comes less than a week after a remarkably similar incident at a Pasir Ris housing block.

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Spate of lift accidents

Singapore family traumatised after faulty HDB lift surges up twice

A family of 4 were left traumatised after a lift they were in suddenly surged upwards, overshot the designated floor and went to the 14th floor, before descending back to the ground floor, & then ascending to the 14th floor again -- despite the display showing it was on the 9th storey.

The incident happened at Lift Lobby B of Block 670 Jalan Damai, at about 8.30pm on May 6, reported Lianhe Wanbao.

Mr Hong, 50, who has lived at the block for 20 years, said he that he along with his 50-yr-old wife, 19-yr-old daughter and 18-year-old son were returning home at the time of the incident, and boarded the lift at Lobby B.

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Spate of Escalator accidents

13 escalator incidents due to technical faults since Nov 2016

Since the mandatory reporting of escalator incidents started on Nov 1 last year, there have been 13 incidents due to technical faults, revealed Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong on Mon (Oct 2).

In a written reply to a Parliamentary question from Non-Constituency MP Daniel Goh, Mr Wong said that these 13 incidents were not due to user behaviour.

He added that as the tightened maintenance regime was only put in place in Nov, the Ministry of National Development (MND) is still monitoring its effects.

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HDB Lift ceiling collapsed upon 10-yr-old girl

4 people hurt after part of RWS casino ceiling falls

3 renovation workers and a security officer were injured after part of a ceiling board at the Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) casino collapsed yesterday.

External contractors were carrying out enhancement works when part of the ceiling board leading to the mezzanine gaming area fell around 10am, a spokesman for RWS told The Straits Times.

"There were no guests at that area during the incident. One security staff and three external contractors sustained minor injuries," the spokesman added.

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The woes of DBSS residents

Shattering Glass Doors, Flooding Complaints at New Trivelis DBSS Flat

About 500 residents of the new Trivelis HDB flats have formed a committee to address the issues of poor quality in their homes.

Most shockingly, shower glass panels prone to shattering, and narrow common corridors prone to flooding. Other problems include “kitchen cabinet dimensions that do not allow for a standard-sized oven to be fitted, pole-system wardrobes that lack shelves, defective stove knobs, stain-prone kitchen countertops and rusty dish racks”

The residents also complain that exposed sanitary pipes and water heaters in the actual flats were not depicted in the show-flats.

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Why is everything breaking down in Singapore?

A foodcourt run by Koufu was shut for almost 3 hours on Sunday morning (Oct 7), after a burst pipe soaked parts of the basement foodcourt in water & caused a section of the premises' false ceiling to collapse.

In response to queries, Koufu group chief operating officer Choo Teck Chuan told The Straits Times that business at the Gourmet Paradise outlet in Toa Payoh HDB Hub was temporarily disrupted between 8.55am & 11.30am.

"Upon investigation, we found that the joint of the water pipe gave way. This has since been rectified and it was business as usual by noon," Mr Choo said.

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Jinx @ JEM

Patrons in a restaurant at Jem shopping mall were drenched after a water pipe in the ceiling burst, releasing a torrent of black-coloured water.

The incident occurred at around 8.45pm yesterday, Jun 4.

A woman, Sandra, who was dining at the restaurant sent photos and an account of the incident to citizen journalism website Stomp.

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Massive blackout across Singapore

The affected areas are mainly at the northern and eastern side of the Island city

Electricity supply to parts of Singapore was disrupted early this morning, affecting some 146,797 residential and commercial customers, according to SP Power.

The power utilities firm said the supply, which was disrupted at 1.18 am, was fully restored within 38 minutes.

SP Power said the areas affected were Boon Lay, Choa Chu Kang, Clementi, Jurong, Pandan Loop, Aljunied, Geylang, Tanjong Rhu, Mountbatten, Kembangan, Bedok, East Coast, Ang Mo Kio, Bishan, Thomson, Mandai, Admiralty, Sembawang and Woodlands.

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Facade cladding falls off Pasir Ris HDB block

The cladding fell from a height of about eight storeys. FOTO: YE RUOSHI

She was playing with her 3-month-old baby in her 8th-storey Pasir Ris Housing Board flat when she heard a thunderous noise.

Alarmed, Madam Ye Ruoshi, 45, looked out of her living room window and saw her neighbours pointing at the next block.

She looked up and realised that a portion of the decorative cladding on the facade of the block had fallen from a height of about eight storeys, crashing and shattering on the walkway below.

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Collapsed false ceiling leaves Toa Payoh residents worried

Lack of action over disintegrating false ceiling irks residents of Toa Payoh block

For more than a year, residents at Block 9, Toa Payoh Lorong 7, said they have been seeing pieces of the false ceiling at the top floor falling onto the common corridor.

On March 18, after a heavy afternoon downpour, it took a turn for the worse when a chunk of the false ceiling & part of the facade fell 11 storeys down, leaving a gaping hole about 4m wide.

Fortunately no one was hurt.

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Plaster slab falls from 18th storey of HDB block

The broken bits from the slab of plaster that fell off the facade of Block 464, Choa Chu Kang Avenue 4 (above), early on Sunday morning were found on the ground.PHOTOS: LIM YAOHUI FOR THE STRAITS TIMES

A slab of plaster fell off the facade of an HDB block on Sunday, from a height of 18 storeys.

Residents of Block 464, Choa Chu Kang Avenue 4, said it was fortunate no one was hurt, as the walkway below is a popular one.

The piece of plaster, which broke on impact, was about 1.5m by 0.6m, or the size of a large bath towel. The area has been cordoned off by the Chua Chu Kang Town Council.

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Debris Danger! 16th Storey HDB Flat Wall Breaks Apart, Residents Alarmed and Worried

“What the hell” and “KNN” probably rolled off the tongues of some Choa Chu Kang Avenue 4 residents yesterday morning, as they found broken-off concrete blocks littering the pathways near block 464.

Looking up, they discovered that the blocks were part of the building wall which broke off from the 16th floor! The big break likely took place in the wee hours of morning.

According to one resident, he had sent his daughter home at around 2am and didn’t find any debris on the ground, but to his horror, the concrete blocks were there at 7am when he went downstairs.

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Second concrete chunk falls off ceiling of HDB block this week-- this time at Hougang

STOMPer David was shocked to see a large chunk of plaster that fell from the 9th floor ceiling of a HDB block at Hougang Avenue. He hopes the relevant authorities can look into maintaining the building and the ones in the older estates.

This is the second of such incidents reported this week, with the first taking place at Choa Chu Kang on Sunday (Nov 11). Said STOMPer David:

"A concrete slab fell off the 9th floor ceiling of block 601, Hougang Avenue at around 10 am today (Nov 15). I did not witness the exact moment when the slab fell off. I must have missed it by 10 to 15 minutes. Thank God no one was hurt! Can the authorities look into not only our building but the ones in the older estates? It must have happened due to the rain and perhaps stagnant water accumulating on the rooftop of our flats."

Picture 1 to 6 of the gallery show the chunk of plaster that fell off the HDB ceiling at Hougang, while the other two pictures are of the incident at Choa Chu Kang.

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Plaster chunk falling from ceiling at this stairwell could have hit someone

A chunk of ceiling fell onto the floor of this stairwell at Block 122 Ang Mo Kio yesterday (Mar 8).

The piece had broken off at about 6pm, according to Stomper Cherubean.

The Stomper wrote:

"HDB ceiling collapsed at Ang Mo Kio Block 122 this evening. Concrete fell off, exposing the rebar of the ceiling structure. The impact was so great that the concrete was smashed to pieces when it hit the ground of the staircase. Thankfully, no one was using the stairs when the incident took place."

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Another 17 Fallen Window Cases Due to HDB-Installed Rivets Corroding

There have been 17 cases of fallen windows in the first 5 months of 2015

The reason for most cases? Corrosion of aluminium rivets installed by the HDB in flats.

Owners have been ordered since 2004 to replace these rivets with steel ones, but apparently some have still dallied in replacing them.

Those who fail to do so can be fined up to S$5,000 and/or sentenced to up to six months in jail.

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Pungent in Punggol as new HDB flat is flooded with faecal matter

MESS: Madam Fadilah’s newly renovated flat covered in waste matter

Their brand new HDB flat was turned into faecal swamp over the weekend, after contents from a toilet pipe flooded the unit.

Madam Fadilah, 31, a saleswoman, was going to move into her newly renovated Build-To-Order flat in Punggol some time this month.

But on Monday, the family received a call from a neighbour, telling them that faecal matter was flowing out of their flat's front door

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Jinx @ JEM

Pregnant woman drenched with black-coloured water in Jem restaurant

Patrons in a restaurant at Jem shopping mall were drenched after a water pipe in the ceiling burst, releasing a torrent of black-coloured water.

The incident occurred at around 8.45pm yesterday, Jun 4.

A woman, Sandra, who was dining at the restaurant sent photos and an account of the incident to citizen journalism website Stomp.

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Why is everything breaking down in Singapore?

WHAT in the world is happening to my country? Not a week passes without something that busts, bursts, cracks or crashes. And that’s just using the first few words I could find in the Thesaurus to go with “break”. I have the not-altogether-incorrect impression that Singapore is breaking down, breaking up and breaking apart at the seams. The litany of woes is not about to take a break any time soon. Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold.

Again, I ask: What in the world is happening to my country? I have a theory. You may not agree with me but, if you indulge an old man his thoughts, hear me out. It has to do with a fishball stick. Not just any ordinary fishball stick but one with an extraordinary historical significance because it was mentioned by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong during his National Day Rally in 2014.

It was a fishball stick carelessly thrown on the pavement near Bukit Gombak MRT which a resident had complained about. It was a fishball stick that wasn’t cleared by anyone for a couple of days. It was a fishball stick that had set off meetings between several government agencies as to whose responsibility it was. If you want a metaphor of what’s wrong with this country, that’s it.

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