Residents at the Northshore Cove estate in Punggol experienced some issues with their water supply on Feb. 2.

Over a period of about two days, some complained of water outages or low water pressure, while others turned on their taps only to see cloudy or yellowish water spurt out.

Their grievances were reflected in a TikTok posted by user jeannieen on Feb. 4.

@jeannieen Punggol northshore cove water stop for 2 days #hdb ♬ Funny video "Carmen Prelude" Arranging weakness(836530) - yo suzuki(akisai)

The video

The video showed clips from residents who experienced cloudy or yellowish water, or low water pressure from their taps.

Another resident posted a video showing the quality of their tap water in a separate Telegram chat group for residents.

In the TikTok video, a number of residents opined that the "seawater downstairs was cleaner than their tap water", or called it "barley water".

Others aired their grievances on the Facebook page of Pasir Ris-Punggol Member of Parliament (MP) Janil Puthucheary.

How residents dealt with it

The resident who posted the video told Mothership that she moved into Northshore Cove in June 2023 and the issues started on Feb. 2, 2024 at around 8pm.

It mainly affected residents at Block 425B, she said.

Some reportedly could not get water at all that night, while others only got their water supply in spurts.

Others raised concerns about the white particles or metal-like residue they found in their water.

Affected residents sounded their concerns to PUB and the Housing and Development Board (HDB) immediately.

The resident said they were told by a technician who attended to the problem that night that "a pump tripped" and they needed to let the water run.

Despite complying, however, the issues persisted for the next couple of days.

"Some residents had to bathe with the cloudy water," the resident said.

Other families apparently rationed store-bought water amongst themselves, prioritising households with children.

Subsequently, PUB directed residents to seek assistance from the town council, she said.

The maintenance of water pumps and water tanks in HDB estates falls under the town council's purview.

The resident shared that the issue was fixed for her unit around two days later on Feb. 4.

Mothership has reached out to Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council for comment.

Reasons for discoloured tap water

According to an official PUB educational video, discoloured tap water commonly occurs due to mineral sediments in pipes and tanks, such as iron and manganese, that do not pose a health concern.

These sediments could be stirred up due to sudden changes in water pressure, such as during maintenance operations like routine cleaning of water tanks and flushing of service pipes.

PUB's website also suggests other reasons for the occurrence of discoloured water.

These include corrosion of storage tanks, pipes and fittings, and stagnant water in service pipes and water service installations from infrequent use, such as when owners return from a holiday.

If they experience discoloured tap water, they are advised to run their taps and flush any water tanks inside their premises until the water runs clear.

They should also temporarily avoid using the water for laundry or any other purposes.

If the water has not cleared up after 10 to 15 minutes, they can call PUB’s hotline at 1800-CALL-PUB for assistance with their water supply.

Top image from from jeannieen / TikTok.