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

武吉知马广场一家中药店的老板表示，本月他的店铺两次被水淹，损失约 2000 美元。

据《新明日报》报道，最新一起事件发生在周日（9月27日），至少影响了该商场地下一层的四家店铺。

中医诊所、洗衣店、美容院和钢琴学校都受到了洪水的影响。

当这家中国日报的记者走访该商场时，看到一些店主正在清理店内的积水，并将浸水的物品搬到外面。

据《新明日报》报道，这家中药店的老板李姓人士透露，他的店铺在9月22日也遭受了洪水侵袭。

他接到邻近店铺的通知后，立即赶去处理这起事件。

李说：“我们当天就通知了商场管理方，他们派人来协助清理工作。”

“我们还聘请了另一家清洁公司进行深度清洁，但我们万万没想到不到一周时间就会再次遇到同样的问题。”

据李先生说，洪水来自一条排水沟，该排水沟在暴雨中发生了倒灌。

水浸透了地上放置的纸箱。

虽然箱子是密封的，但出于卫生考虑，李女士不得不丢弃里面的草药和药瓶。

此外，一盏新买的红外线灯也被溢出的水损坏了。

据估计，这两起事件共让他损失了2000美元。

其他受影响的企业

除了中医商店外，《新明日报》记者还采访了受影响的钢琴学校和洗衣店。

钢琴学院表示，他们的地板被水损坏，损失超过 1000 美元。

与此同时，洗衣店的一名员工表示，洪水影响了洗衣店的生意，导致工作量增加。

“店面前后都湿透了，”店员说。“我今天花了两个小时才清理干净。”

2021年，武吉知马广场也曾因暴雨而遭受洪水侵袭。

据中央社当时报道，地下室一层商铺的租户不得不清理积水。

AsiaOne已联系武吉知马广场管理层和中医商店以获取更多信息。

khooyihang@asiaone.com