Up till this week, Bukit Batok was known for only one thing — having a by-election because its MP David Ong, who up till then wasn't quite a known entity, couldn't keep it in his pants and so resigned from his post and the People's Action Party.

But this week was a game-changer, for the residents of this far-flung West-side town now can boast not one, but two massive "water fountains" on Tuesday night and Sunday morning.

These "fountains" are not new installations to beautify the neighbourhood, though.

Both are the result of burst underground pipes.

Four-storey high spout

The most recent occurrence happened on a Sunday (Oct. 1) morning at Bukit Batok East Ave 3.

The leak was reported by Channel NewsAsia to have happened around 6am, causing the water it was carrying to shoot up to four storeys high.

According to the Public Utilities Board (PUB), "the leak was isolated at 9am":

They added that "repair works are ongoing and are expected to be completed by today."

Thankfully, there was no road closure in this case, and traffic in the vicinity has remained smooth.

Previous incident

The pipe that burst on Tuesday evening (Sept. 26), however, presented a bigger problem.

The three-storey spout happened in Bukit Batok West and had caused flooding on the main road.

On the next day, PUB said the burst pipe is an important one as it supplies "water to customers at the Bukit Batok estate".

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Due to repair works, the lane along Bukit Batok West Ave 6 had to be closed until Sept. 29.

Bukit Batok MP Murali Pillai said when speaking to media that he was told by an SCDF officer that the pipe was damaged after a "collision between a motor vehicle and a surface pipe".