Burst pipe disrupts water supply for Phoenix Park tenants
A water pipe that burst recently in the Phoenix Park office campus has cut off the water supply for offices and businesses there.
A pre-school, enrichment centres, a yoga studio and a tailoring business are among affected businesses in the cluster of 11 colonial buildings located in Tanglin Road.
The 59,630 sq m site, which used to house the former Ministry of Home Affairs office, is managed by the Singapore Land Authority (SLA).
According to an e-mail sent to tenants on the morning of Jan 11, an underground pipe had burst, causing water leaks.
It was sent by facilities management company Ocean IFM, a contractor hired by master tenant LHN Group, which offers real estate management services and leases out the majority of the units in Phoenix Park office campus to sub-tenants.
The e-mail added that the water supply was disrupted, and that repairs works were taking place.
On the morning of Jan 13, Ocean IFM sent another e-mail notifying LHN Group’s sub-tenants that the water disruption would continue on that day, “due to unforeseen circumstances and bad weather conditions”.
It added that it was working with national water agency PUB to set up two water tanks – filled with non-potable water for cleaning purposes – at the carparks.
The Little Paddington Preschool, which is housed within the Phoenix Park campus, was among those affected by the disruption to the water supply.
In a circular seen by The Straits Times on Jan 13, the pre-school told parents and guardians of its students that it was unable to ensure the safe operations of the school, as there was no water supply in its toilet.
It said that it would not accept any students for the next few days until PUB can reconnect the water supply, adding that this was the only way it could ensure that the children’s health and safety remained secure.
The pre-school noted that it was actively working with SLA and the relevant authorities to resolve this issue as quickly as possible.
Ms Pooja Patodia, chief operating officer at Little Paddington Preschool, said the pre-school staff were unaware of the disruption to the water supply until the morning of Jan 13, when a teacher noticed that the water pressure in the washroom was very low.
Noting that the pre-school was not informed of the issue by LHN over the weekend because it had leased its unit directly from SLA, Ms Patodia said that it was “a little disappointing” how the situation was being handled.
Describing the day as “very challenging”, Ms Patodia said the pre-school staff were unable to bathe infants and sterilise milk bottles properly without a working water supply, so they had to order mineral water to do so. They also used disposable plates for the entire day, since they could not wash plates and utensils.
The owner of yoga wellness studio Laya Studio, who identified herself only as Ms Lim, said that it was “very inconvenient” to conduct classes as her clients did not have access to working toilets.
She had to resort to collecting water from the tanks provided by PUB in a plastic bottle, so that she could hand it over to her clients to manually flush toilets or wash their hands when they visited the restroom.
She added that she could not reschedule her lessons as she “cannot stop business from coming”.
Another tenant, Mr Chris Tan, director of car dealership Aztute Automotive, said he had to control his daily water intake to minimise his trips to the washroom. He added that the nearest alternative toilet for him was at a nearby petrol kiosk, which is a two-minute drive away.
The 40-year-old quipped that the collection of water from the tanks provided by PUB helped him imagine what it was like during wartime, and brought him “back to water-rationing days”.
Mr Kenneth Chia, the owner of tailoring business A Gentleman’s Tale, observed low water pressure in a sink installed outside his shop, to the point where there would be no water a few seconds after turning the tap on.
He described it as very inconvenient, and added that some of the common restrooms were choked with human waste over the weekend due to the disrupted water supply.
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