SINGAPORE, Jan 11 — Residents at another recently completed Build-to-Order (BTO) project in Sumang Lane at Punggol West are complaining about mouldy facades, following a similar report of mould in BTO project Anchorvale Parkview in Sengkang.
Several residents in affected blocks in Sumang Lane told TODAY today that they are worried about mould on the Housing and Development Board (HDB) blocks, although one noted that they live near a large forest which could contribute to the problem.
The affected blocks in Sumang Lane are part of a BTO project called Matilda Court.
In response to queries from TODAY, HDB said today that it was aware of mould forming at the two BTO projects and is “looking into the matter” with the relevant town councils.
On Monday, a Facebook user by the name of James Ng posted photos of Block 233 Sumang Lane in a Facebook group called “Complaint Singapore”, showing mould growing on the exterior of the flats.
He said in his post that the flat is only six years old, questioning what was wrong with the paint used by HDB contractors.
Following similar complaints posted by fellow netizens on his post, Sun Xueling, Member of Parliament (MP) for Punggol West commented that the tender of Matilda Court estate’s repair and redecoration works will be happening this year, and that it had already been included in the workplan.
TODAY’s visit to the area today confirmed the presence of mould on the exterior of blocks 233C, 234A and 234B Sumang Lane.
Last week, Facebook user Jane Wendy posted photos of Anchorvale Parkview’s housing blocks showing their mouldy outer facade walls. She said in her post that despite being only five years old, the block which she lives in looks “worse than a 30-year-old building”.
Two days after the post, Sengkang Town Council said in response to TODAY’s queries that the area is scheduled to undergo repair and redecoration works this year, and that the council is looking to expedite the process.
The Workers’ Party-led town council also said then that the call for tender for the repair and redecoration works at the neighbouring Anchorvale Cove cluster was closed on December 31, 2022, and a similar preparation for Anchorvale Parkview is ongoing.
Residents worry mould indicates poor workmanship
TODAY spoke to four residents at the affected blocks in Sumang Lane, all of whom were concerned about the formation of mould on the exterior of their flats.
Kanmani Panneeirchelvam, who has been living at the flat for almost five years, said: “This mouldy thing has been appearing from the third year of us staying here. I don’t think it’s a good sight for our environment.”
The 43-year-old customer service officer also questioned whether the mould indicated poor quality of workmanship of the flat.
“Some parts of our house like the doors (that came with the flat) and the toilets — the quality is not very good. The door is made of wood so it rots very fast and the toilets choke up often,” said Panneeirchelvam.
She added that she had not experienced problems of mouldy flats previously when she lived in older estates in Ang Mo Kio for about three years, and in Tampines.
Both Panneeirchelvam and her husband, Sathiyanathan Segeran, a 45-year-old Grab driver, said that they hoped the relevant authorities can conduct maintenance work to remove the mould.
“We hope that after the feedback, our MP will respond to it and something is done since the public is noticing it. Our MP (Sun Xueling) is very prompt in her response and we are actually quite impressed by her. I’m sure she will do something,” said Panneeirchelvam.
Resident Noor Zilah also said she was concerned about the “unsightly” mouldy exterior and the quality of the flats.
The 41-year-old administrative assistant who has been residing in the flat for five years said: “I was one of the first few occupants of this BTO estate, and it’s only been five years but it’s already like this. The mould makes me worried about the quality of this building.”
“I hope whoever we voted for, they have to at least make checks or do maintenance work on the flats,” said Noor.
Another resident, Jared Quak, said that he had been noticing the mould grow since at least three years ago.
“It’s not nice. This estate is not even that mature or old but yet the condition is like this,” said Quak.
The 35-year-old who works in retail added that there has not been any repainting efforts so far.
He also said that the environment of the BTO estate could have contributed to the growth of mould on the flats’ exterior.
“I think it’s because this area is very humid since it’s very near to a huge forest. In fact, not only the exterior of the flats is affected, everything that we own like bags or shoes also get mouldy very easily.”
“I hope HDB can repaint the flats every year or conduct regular maintenance work,” said Quak.
TODAY has reached out to Sun for further comment.
HDB outlines measures to prevent mould on block exteriors
In its response to TODAY’s queries, HDB said that the external walls of all new HDB flats are painted with one coat of water-based sealer and two coats of algae-resistant emulsion paint.
It elaborated that the water-based sealer enables better paint adhesion to the surface and is commonly used on external walls before the application of algae-resistant emulsion paint.
“The sealer and emulsion paint used in HDB blocks complies with the Singapore Standard 579 and the Singapore Standard 345 respectively,” it said.
HDB added that a six-year warranty period for external painting, which covers defects or imperfections including algae growth, paint peeling and discolouration, is given to the town councils when the blocks are handed over to them for management and maintenance.
“During this period, the building contractor and their paint specialist are required to rectify any defects or imperfections that are detected.”
TODAY had reported that Anchorvale Parkview residents had complained about the unsavoury sight of the residential blocks as well as a “damp smell”, although five residents out of the 10 who were interviewed said they were not disturbed by the mould on the walls outside.
Some, however, said that the mould has also appeared inside their homes as well, adding that they had to repaint the walls themselves. — TODAY
