Several shops on the second floor of Tengah Plantation Plaza have been hit by repeated flash flooding during the rainy season, with rainwater flowing into the corridor and even into some shops, making it difficult for customers to move around.
Shop owners said the flooding is caused by a combination of short roof eaves and drainage problems, resulting in water building up whenever there is heavy rain.
With recent downpours becoming more frequent, businesses on the second floor of the mall have been struggling. Shop owners said sudden flooding along the corridor has caused customers to avoid the area, directly affecting their business.
When Shin Min Daily News visited the mall, affected shops included Lau Wang Claypot Delights, Ron Sheng Fish Soup Premium, as well as a hair salon and a nail salon.
A male employee from the hair salon said several second-floor shops have been operating for more than a year, and flooding has already happened more than four times.
“There were flooding incidents during last year’s rainy season as well, but the most serious one happened last Thursday (December 4) at around 3pm, when water flowed directly into the shop.”
He added that whenever there is heavy rain, rainwater enters from Lau Wang Claypot Delights, Ron Sheng Fish Soup Premium, gradually filling the corridor before spreading further and affecting other shops.
Based on the videos he shared, water accumulated deeply along the second-floor corridor, making it look like a “small stream”. Some shop owners placed towels at their entrances to block the water, while staff used squeegees and ride-on cleaning machines to push the water away. The situation was described as chaotic.
A female employee from a nail salon said some customers were stuck inside the shop and could not leave temporarily.
“We spent about two hours cleaning up the water on the floor, and some nail gel products were soaked in water and could no longer be used.”
Another nearby female employee, who declined to be named, believed the issue was linked to the mall’s roof design. She said the roof did not properly cover the outdoor dining area, so rainwater fell directly onto the area before flowing into the corridor.
The reporters observed that the roof eaves appeared to be more than 10 centimetres too short, making the dining area almost open-air and vulnerable whenever it rains.
An employee from Lau Wang Claypot Delights said that aside from the roof design, the drainage pipes also cannot cope with large volumes of water.
“Whenever the water volume is too high, the drainage pipes cannot discharge it in time, and water even flows back, causing water to gush out and accumulate. Fortunately, there was only one group of customers in the shop that day.”
She added that the mall management had visited the site, but she was unsure if a long-term solution had been proposed. For now, the mall has provided flood barriers and sandbags.
“When it rains heavily, we can use them to control the situation and prevent the corridor from being flooded.”
MP says HDB has been informed and is addressing the issue
Responding to the flooding, Member of Parliament for Chua Chu Kang GRC, Choo Pei Ling, said in a Facebook post on Thursday (December 11) that the case of flooding at Plantation Plaza was picked up on December 4 and that the mall is managed by the Housing and Development Board (HDB), which was duly alerted.
She said the flooding was caused by strain on the existing drainage system due to the recent incessant downpour.
“HDB has been working on the matter and we are glad to share the flood was cleared on the day itself. The situation continues to be monitored,” she wrote.
To prevent future recurrence, she added that they are working with HDB to assess whether further rectification is needed and that updates will be provided accordingly.
