Flood in Bukit Batok coffee shop forces stallholders to wade in stinky water

Ankle-high water at a coffee shop in Bukit Batok has caused workers there to wear rubber boots for safety.

A regular patron told Shin Min Daily News he found it strange to see a flood in the coffee shop along Bukit Batok Street 11 on Tuesday (Nov 1) when it was not raining. 

The manager of the mala hotpot stall, surnamed He, told the Chinese daily that he has experienced drainage issues in the three years he's been working there.

Describing how the problem has gotten worse this year, He said: "Even if the coffee shop finds someone to fix it, it can't be resolved.

"The flooding can last for days, and the waste water in the stall will occasionally flow to the diners' tables."

There were times when the water level went higher than ankle-deep, forcing stallholders to close business for safety reasons, He added.

Earlier this year, the mala hotpot stall was forced to close for 11 days and suffered losses amounting over $10,000.

While the coffee shop management offered rebates on rent during the downtime, stallholders still had to expenses such as staff wages, the Chinese daily reported.

Another stallholder, surnamed Lin, also shared that his stall was affected by the drainage issues over the past two years, which he reported to the coffee shop.

When asked about the flooding on Tuesday, the manager of the coffee shop only said that the problem was resolved by Wednesday noon.

A safety hazard

The frequent flooding has also become a safety hazard, stallholders shared.

On Tuesday, a chef was taken to hospital after he slipped and hit a fridge as he fell. He said: "Fortunately, he had minor injuries and is now resting at home."

A female assistant at the economy rice stall similarly slipped and fell on another occasion, a coffee shop employee added.

The drainage issues also drove diners away from the coffee shop, the regular patron told Shin Min.

"The stench that wafted out of the stalls made me to lose my appetite," the elderly man said, adding that he left after five minutes.

Another diner shared that he had to walk carefully in the coffee shop to avoid falling.

In another similar incident last month, sewage water from a toilet caused a coffee shop along Clementi West Street 2 to suffer heavy losses.

Speaking to Shin Min then, several stall owners shared they had to close early amidst worries that their food would be contaminated.

The owner of the coffee shop told the Chinese daily that a blockage of the nearby sewer well was the cause behind the flooding. 

"The water was dirty and smelly. We did not dare let in more customers after one of them fell down," she said.

Reactions from diners were mixed. One regular patron said that the flooding did not bother him since he sat further away, while another shared she was concerned about food hygiene.  

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chingshijie@asiaone.com