PUB investigates brown tap water affecting Bedok Reservoir HDB units after residents report murky supply
PUB is investigating the cause of brown tap water that affected several households at Block 611 Bedok Reservoir Road after residents reported murky water flowing from taps. Initial checks found no abnormalities in the public water mains, with investigations continuing alongside the town council.
- PUB is investigating brown tap water reported by residents at Block 611 Bedok Reservoir Road.
- Water quality checks on PUB’s mains found no abnormalities and flushing restored clear water.
- Videos posted online showed murky water, while investigations with the town council continue.
SINGAPORE: PUB is investigating the cause of brown tap water that affected several units at Block 611 Bedok Reservoir Road after residents reported discoloured water flowing from their taps.
The national water agency on 19 June said it has not detected any water quality issues in its water mains despite the incident and is continuing investigations with Aljunied-Hougang Town Council and affected residents.
Water quality checks underway
According to CNA, PUB said it was first alerted to the issue on Tuesday after a resident lodged feedback that water from her tap had turned brown.
“PUB and Aljunied-Hougang Town Council jointly visited the resident’s unit at 5.30pm on the same day,” the agency said.
“We performed flushing at her unit as well as two other affected units on the same level.”
According to PUB, the town council also flushed the residents’ internal water service pipes, after which the water returned to normal.
“Checks on water samples from PUB water mains confirmed no abnormality in the water quality,” the agency added.
Residents share videos online
The incident gained attention after a resident posted a video on social media showing murky brown water pouring from a tap, sarcastically referring to it as “kopi o kosong”.
In the caption accompanying the video, uploaded on 16 June, the resident wrote: “This is my third shower interrupted by this Fxxin shxx watered colour coming from my pipes, can someone give us a solution,” adding that all taps in the home were producing the discoloured water and neighbouring households were also affected.
The user also claimed they had to let the water run for about 30 minutes before it became clear.
Another segment of the video showed brown-tinged water swirling in a toilet bowl as it was flushed.
Possible causes of discoloured water
PUB said it is continuing to work with Aljunied-Hougang Town Council and affected residents to determine the source of the incident.
“We are working with Aljunied-Hougang Town Council and the affected residents to investigate the cause of the water discolouration incident,” the agency said.
According to information published on PUB’s website, brown tap water can result from essential maintenance activities, including routine cleaning of water tanks, flushing of service pipes within buildings and fire hydrant testing.
The agency also noted that discoloured water may sometimes be linked to internal household fittings, corroded service water pipes or fittings, or corrosion within the iron tanks of storage-type water heaters.
