Termites destroy S$8,000 worth of furniture in woman's Choa Chu Kang flat

A five-room flat in Choa Chu Kang has been infested with termites, leaving a 68-year-old woman with damaged furniture.

Shin Min Daily News reported that the woman, Chen (transliteration), claimed that the termites originated from a riser just outside her home.

According to her, the suspected termite invasion destroyed over S$8,000 worth of furniture in the flat.

She now fears that previous extermination efforts failed to fully eradicate the termites, which have now moved into her home.

How it started

According to Shin Min, Chen found out a few years ago that there were termites chewing through the wooden door of a riser at Block 619 Choa Chu Kang North 7.

She contacted the town council and the authorities sent personnel to exterminate the termites.

They also replaced her wooden door with an aluminum one.

Damage done

That was until earlier this year when she noticed fresh damage to another wooden door outside her unit and discovered that her shoe cabinet, television cabinet, and kitchen cupboards were damaged.

Chen said she believed that termites from the riser moved to the shoe cabinet near the door and invaded her home.

She also found wood shavings under the shoe cabinet and later realised that the panels were completely hollowed out by termites.

Upon hiring a pest control company, multiple termite nests were found in her television cabinet, kitchen cupboards, electrical sockets and wiring.

Some termite nests were up to 20cm long.

Chen said everything had to be removed and replaced, which she claimed cost her S$8,000.

She told Shin Min that this terrified her family.

Family life disrupted

Chen had reportedly asked the authorities repeatedly to check the riser as pest control could not inspect it and she was afraid that undetected termites inside could destroy her new furniture.

The woman, her husband, and three children had to put up with multiple rounds of pest control and a month-long renovation to deal with the infestation.

The family was also unable to cook because of damaged kitchen cupboards, forcing them to eat out every day.

While the town council has replaced one termite-damaged door near a fire riser, Chen recently spotted fresh termite markings near other risers.

Even though the pest control company said termites could fly, Chen was unsure whether the termites at her house originated from the ground floor of her block.

Town council responds

According to a Shin Min reporter, who visited multiple units in the same block, most residents said they were not affected by termites, but some were concerned about the problem spreading.

A 53-year-old teacher, who lived in the block for over 30 years, said the termite problem seemed to have surfaced after the pandemic.

She was also worried about how she might find termites in her home.

The Marsiling-Yew Tee Town Council said it “deeply regrets” the situation and has taken action after being notified in June 2024.

A pest control team was deployed to inspect and treat the affected riser doors.

The town council also recently conducted two additional rounds of preventive treatment and plans to replace all eise cabinet doors with aluminium ones.

They added that they remain committed to keeping the environment safe and clean for residents.

In response to Mothership's queries, a Marsiling-Tew Tee Town Council spokesperson said: "We regret to learn about the termite infestation in the resident’s unit. To date, we have not received any other reports of similar issues in residential unit within the block.

"When the resident first approached the Town Council in June last year, we promptly engaged a professional pest control team and inspected the common areas. Treatment was carried out at the adjacent electrical riser door on two occasions within the same week. No further signs of termite activity were found."

The spokesperson added that in response to the resident’s recent feedback, additional precautionary treatments were conducted at the same site. Although no termites were found, two rounds of treatments were administered as preventive measures.

"As part of our continued efforts to ensure a clean and well-maintained estate, we have replaced the existing riser door with a new aluminum door.

"We value our residents’ feedback and remain committed to maintaining a safe and hygienic environment for all."

Top photos via Shin Min Daily News