Flooding at Clementi Road halts shophouse businesses' operations for more than 2 hours

Shin-high waters.

Ruth Chai | February 03, 2023, 06:40 PM

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A total of seven food and beverage businesses along Clementi Road were forced to suspend operations for some two hours after rainwaters rose to shin-high levels on Thursday Feb. 2 afternoon.

In photos provided by Shin Min Daily News, a shop in that area appeared completely flooded.

The people in the photos were seen wading across the water.

Chen, 58, an employee of one of the affected eateries, "Feng Xing Fast Food Nasi Lemak", said in an interview with Shin Min that the flooding began at 4pm, causing them to suspend business for two hours.

He claimed that the drain was partially or fully blocked, which inhibited the water from flowing away.

"The water was some 10cm high yesterday," he said.

Four customers were in the restaurant when the flooding occurred.

They had to take off their shoes and wade through the water barefooted.

Ning, 36, who works at a Thai restaurant, said she was cooking when the water suddenly gushed in, which caught her by surprise.

She revealed that the drain was carrying away the water poorly.

Chen shared that his boss had contacted PUB, Singapore's water agency, who sent someone down to check.

Ning also revealed that a personnel from PUB would come to check every few months to ensure that there is no blockage problem.

Chen stated that a similar flooding issue occurred in 2022, but the water level only rose to about 3cm to 4cm high.

The flooded conditions were also documented elsewhere in Singapore on the same day due to the rainy weather.

@oleair Right now Singapore pandan RD #singapore #flood ♬ 原聲 - user4044808601

A Tiktok posted on Feb. 2 documented the flooding at Pandan Road area, which made it impossible for drivers to see the road ahead.

Top photo via Shin Min and Google Maps