Lady claims Punggol food court's tap water is contaminated, netizens point out possible scientific explanation

Koufu is currently investigating the matter.

Matthias Ang | December 17, 2018, 05:40 PM

Singaporeans take the state of their tap water very seriously.

After all, Singapore is one of the few countries in Asia that, by the standards of the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has tap water which is safe for drinking.

Cloudy tap water at food court triggers contamination fear

On Dec. 13, a Singaporean by the name of Yang Li Si (杨丽丝) took to Facebook to complain about the quality of the tap water at the Koufu food court in Punggol Plaza due to its murky quality.

In the post's photo and video, a pair of cupped hands is seen collecting running water with a cloudy quality from the tap.

A male voice -- supposedly Yang's father, according to her reply to a comment -- can also be heard in the background of the video speculating "how dirty" the water was.

Gif of video from Yang Li Si Facebook

Yang also questioned if the water pipes were connected to the food court's kitchens as well, raising the potential scenario of food contamination.

She then concluded with a warning to parents of the need to check the quality of the tap water before washing the utensils and pacifiers of their young children.

Here is Yang's post:

In case you can't see the video:

[video width="1280" height="720" mp4="https://static.mothership.sg/1/2018/12/48604063_2186719624980757_1382186902123401051_n.mp4"][/video]

Supposedly safe as there is a scientific explanation

Several commentators who responded to Yang's post replied that the water was actually safe as the cloudy quality of the water was simply the result of microscopic air bubbles.

Photo from Yang Li Si Facebook

Photo from Yang Li Si Facebook

Photo from Yang Li Si Facebook

One commentator also shared an article from the United States Geological Survey, aimed at explaining the phenomenon. 

Photo from Yang Li Si Facebook

According to the article, such a phenomenon is likely the result of "tiny air bubbles in the water" which can be caused by water pressure within pipes.

Here is the explanation as provided by the article:

"Water under pressure holds more air than water that is not pressurized. Once the water comes out of your tap, the water is no longer under pressure and the air comes out of solution as bubbles (similar to a carbonated soft drink). The best thing to do is let it sit in an open container until the bubbles naturally disappear."

Koufu responds

When Mothership.sg reached out to Koufu for clarification, a spokesperson for Koufu replied that investigations are ongoing.

The organisation also carried out tests on Saturday morning which found that the water was clear, after seeing Yang's post.

The spokesperson added that Koufu has also reached out to the building management about the building's water source and has since been told that water source was given the all-clear after the management conducted the building's annual maintenance.

Koufu added that they have also reached out to Yang herself for more information and will be carrying on the investigation further to put all minds at ease.

Top photos from Yang Li Si Facebook

 

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