City Square Mall shops reopen after pipe burst that flooded parts of its basement

SINGAPORE – Business was largely back to normal at City Square Mall on the morning of Sept 4 after a sprinkler pipe burst the previous evening.

Most shops at Basement 1 and all outlets at Basement 2 were open for business as usual, the mall’s spokesperson said on Sept 4.

The source of the leak has been identified

as a dislodged sprinkler pipe

, the spokesperson said, adding that the brown water that poured forth was caused by “sediments discharged from the pipe” and that the pump linked to the pipe was “promptly deactivated”.

“Efforts are under way to reinstate the affected unit as quickly as possible to minimise disruption to our tenant’s business,” the spokesperson said.

When The Straits Times visited the mall at about 12.45pm on Sept 4, fast-food chain KFC on Basement 1 was hoarded up and an escalator near the outlet was closed.

However, businesses that were open said they did not notice a drop in footfall. Shoppers, too, remain undeterred.

An employee at Dunkin’ Donuts, who wanted to be known only as Nur, said she was about to step out when the incident happened at about 7.40pm on Sept 3.

“I was about to throw the rubbish when the pipe burst. I thought it was a fire because the sprinkler had gone off, but suddenly, there was a loud boom and the ceiling at KFC fell,” the 17-year-old said.

She added that water had seeped into the store, leaving her trapped in a corner.

While the outlet had to shut earlier on Sept 3, Nur said operations were back to normal on Sept 4 and there was no noticeable drop in the number of customers.

The burst pipe had released a dark-coloured liquid, sending patrons scurrying as they tried to avoid being sprayed. Videos on social media on Sept 3 show diners at KFC abandoning their meals to avoid the liquid pooling on the floor.

Several stores near KFC had to close earlier than usual, with some staff saying the flooding had led to power trips and damaged some of their electrical appliances.

In a media reply, a spokesperson for KFC said the incident was not a result of “any refurbishment works within our restaurant or from the mall”.

“We are relieved to share that no customers or staff were injured,” said the spokesperson, adding that KFC is working with the mall’s building management team to rectify the situation.

Homemaker Vanessa Ng, who frequents the mall, said such incidents are “bound to happen once in a while” and she was glad the burst pipe was fixed quickly.

However, she hopes the building management would conduct more maintenance and checks in the future.

“City Square Mall is usually packed with home owners, and there is high human traffic because of its centralised location,” said Ms Ng, who lives nearby.

The mall spokesperson said that its operations team is working closely with all relevant parties to investigate the cause and carry out rectification works.