Bukit Timah Plaza floods: TCM shop loses over $2,000

The owner of a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) shop in Bukit Timah Plaza said he lost about $2,000 after his shop was flooded on two occasions this month.

The latest incident, which took place on Sunday (Sept 27), affected at least four shops on the basement floor of the mall, Shin Min Daily News reported.

The TCM shop, a laundromat, beauty salon and piano academy were affected by the flooding.

When reporters from the Chinese daily visited the mall, some shopkeepers were seen clearing the water in the stores and moving soaked items outside.

Speaking with Shin Min, the TCM shop owner surnamed Li shared that his shop was also suffered from a flood on Sept 22.

He had been notified by a neighbouring shop and rushed over to deal with the incident.

"We notified mall management that day and they sent people down to assist with the cleaning," Li said.

"We also hired another cleaning company to conduct a deep cleaning, but we never expected to face the same problem again in less than a week."

According to Li, the flood of water came from a drainage ditch that had experienced a backflow amid heavy rain.

The water soaked through cardboard boxes left on the ground. 

While the boxes were sealed, Li had to dispose of herbs and medicine bottles within due to hygiene concerns.

Additionally, a newly bought infrared lamp was damaged by the overflow.

He lost an estimated $2,000 from both incidents.

Other businesses affected

Aside from the TCM shop, Shin Min reporters also spoke with the affected piano academy and laundromat.

The piano academy said their flooring was damaged by the water, costing them over $1,000. 

Meanwhile, a laundromat employee at the laundromat said the flood affected business and led to more work.

"The front and back [of the shop] were all wet," the employee said. "It took me two hours to clean it today."

Back in 2021, Bukit Timah Plaza similarly suffered flooding due to heavy rain.

Shop tenants on its basement one level had to mop up the puddles, CNA reported at the time.

AsiaOne has contacted Bukit Timah Plaza management and the TCM shop for more information.

khooyihang@asiaone.com