A concerned resident of Sumang Link near Nibong LRT in Punggol has highlighted the litter problem at the nearby park and void decks in the block caused by migrant workers residing in S11 dormitory.
The littering would occur daily, especially during the weekends and public holidays, and has worsened since the easing of Covid-19 safe management measures and movement restrictions.
A resident of the block, Mr Shen, has reached out to The Independent Singapore in hopes of bringing focus on the matter, as the “situation is deteriorating.”
“I have tried to seek various agencies for help, but the situation is only deteriorating. The agencies are not doing enough,” he said.
Mr Shen has reached out to the Punggol Town Council, who said that the issue would be forwarded to the Singapore Police Force because they have control of the area’s surveillance cameras.
He also contacted his Member of Parliament and sent multiple emails to the National Parks Board (NParks) and was told they have been “monitoring the area and are working with our enforcement team to step up patrols at the area.”
“Situation is getting worse. In the past, only during holidays there would be signs of litters. Now, it is becoming a common sight daily,” said Mr Shen in a previous email to NParks.
“This feedback was raised quite a while ago. NEA (National Environment Agency) seems to be taking forever to look into this. Perhaps NEA deemed it acceptable for such littering to happen in their parks.”
The concerned resident noted there was a primary school opposite the park and a child care centre beside it.
“How could we educate our young to be a considerate person and not litter when they are seeing such cases of littering on such a high occurrence. It gives people the impression that it is ok to do such inconsiderate acts.”
“Perhaps it is common for those foreign workers to behave as such in their home country. But this is not their homeland,” he added.
According to Mr Shen, the workers would gather at the park or void decks and play music through their phones. They would also talk loudly, disturbing the residents.
Security is another concern as these workers always drink and tend to get drunk, he noted.
The Independent Singapore has reached out to NParks for an update on the matter. /TISG
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