SINGAPORE: There’s been a lot of rain recently, and the wet weather is likely to continue for a while, as showers and thunderstorms are expected in the next two weeks. Workers’ Party Member of Parliament Pritam Singh (Aljunied GRC) recently took the opportunity to remind everyone of a service they can avail of from the Housing Development Board (HDB) to help with one of the issues arising from rainy weather.
Mr Singh, who is the secretary-general of the WP and the Leader of the Opposition, wrote in a Thursday night (Dec 7) Facebook post that he had gone on house visits to Blk 634, which he called “A pleasant evening of house visits today with some great conversations to go with it! A common feedback from more than a handful of households involved the installation of a rain screen to help combat rainwater splashing onto their main doors from the common corridor, a long-standing gripe. HDB can assist in this (see final picture) at no cost,” he wrote.
He urged residents who may need such a rain screen to not hesitate to reach out to HDB, especially because items such as blinds that residents install themselves are regarded as unauthorised fixtures that need to be removed.
“The team and I received some other useful and important feedback pertaining to making the estate more wheelchair-friendly. This will be an important objective of the Town Council during the upcoming Neighbourhood Renewal Program. Always grateful for the feedback, and looking forward to visiting more households in the weeks to come,” Mr Singh added.
In 2018, then MP for West Coast GRC Patrick Tay (PAP) asked in Parliament what the Ministry for National Development (MND) could do for HDB flats in Boon Lay that were over 30 years old and had already completed the Home Improvement Programme, specifically with regards to rain that splashed into the common corridors, lift landings, corridors, and front doors and windows of these flats.
The MND said that some degree of splashing is inevitable, and common corridors are provided with a canopy overhang because of this. However, they added that they might be unable to keep corridors dry during strong winds and heavy rains.
“When HDB receives feedback from residents, it will assess the extent of the rainwater splashing. If the splashing is severe and likely to damage the main entrance door of the unit, HDB will provide a rain screen, subject to SCDF’s fire safety requirements to ensure that there is adequate open space and cross ventilation at the common corridor to facilitate the quick dispersal of smoke during emergencies such as fire outbreak.
The provision of rain screens is a cost-effective solution, and residents can submit their feedback to HDB whenever they identify the issue, regardless of whether their units have undergone HIP,” the MND added in a written reply to Mr Tay.
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