More than $10,000 losses: Two floors of Orchard Mall flooded, shops unable to operate and sue

SINGAPORE: A suspected water pipe blockage caused extensive flooding across two floors of a shopping mall in Orchard Road last Thursday, August 6, disrupting business operations and leaving several shops unable to open. Cleanup efforts lasted more than four hours, and affected retailers estimated that their combined losses were over $10,000.

In an interview, an employee of a restaurant stated that this was the second time in the past four years that there had been flooding inside the mall. 

“When I arrived at the mall around 10 a.m., I saw the flooding, and the restaurant was also affected. Many customers had placed orders, so I had to explain and cancel them one by one,” the employee declared, as reported by Shin Min Daily News. 

Furthermore, the employee shared that the restaurant’s wallpaper was soaked with water, and their management is assessing if they need to replace it. 

Another employee at a cafe also shared that they needed to move the chairs in their store to clean up, and they would be unable to operate because of the inconvenience. 

A spokesperson for the mall admitted that they have received the complaints of the businesses and were aware of the incident that happened. Currently, they are investigating the real cause of the water leak. 

More so, the management of the mall maintained close communication with the affected stores and provided necessary support to minimise the impact of the incident on their daily operations. The spokesperson revealed that by late afternoon of the same day, some shops eventually resumed their business. 

In other news related to Singapore complaints, there was a report where a customer saw a young girl placed and seated inside a plastic trolley that was being pushed around by her guardians while shopping at a supermarket. 

According to the complainant, the girl was roughly school age, and the basket was filled with some items. 

“Imagine the heavy weight on the plastic trolley meant for light shopping; the trolley will certainly be damaged,” the customer declared. 

Read more about the news story here.