Eunos Crescent Food Centre affected by flooding, stallholder says business dropped by 80%

Flooding at Eunos Crescent Food Centre causes dirty & smelly water to swamp floor

Flooding occurred at Eunos Crescent Market and Food Centre on Saturday (6 Sept) morning, causing the floor to be swamped with water.

Stallholders told Shin Min Daily News that their business had been affected, with one reporting an 80% loss in revenue.

Eunos food centre flooding affects about 15 stalls

A reader alerted the paper to the flooding, saying it started at about 6am.

When Shin Min visited the food centre, about 15 stalls were observed to be affected, with water accumulating not just outside but inside the stalls.

The flooding was serious enough to cause the reporter’s shoes to be soaked, and his feet to get wet.

Noodle stall owner Ms Cai (transliterated from Mandarin), 50, said she does not know why the flooding happened, but she said the water was very dirty and smelly.

She was concerned for the elderly stallholders and diners, who would be badly injured if they slipped and fell.

Stallholders say their business dropped

Ms Cai also noted that Saturday mornings are typically peak business hours for her stall, with a queue normally forming at this time.

However, there were only a few customers that morning who waited outside the food centre for them to bring the food out because of the flooding.

She estimated the sharp drop in business had led to an 80% loss of revenue.

The owner of a pancake stall said he saw only a few customers that morning as his stall was flooded both inside and out.

Another stallholder named Naz, 47, said he had to delay opening his stall due to the flooding.

While he normally opens at 10am and prepares three hours in advance, he could not cook inside his stall on Saturday morning and was forced to open only at 12 noon.

He estimated his losses to be about S$500 to S$600, adding that he had a large order of 100 packets, which was thankfully only due at 3pm, or he would not have been able to make it.

Eunos food centre has had flooding issues, say stallholders

This was apparently not the first time flooding had occurred at Eunos Crescent Food Centre, with Ms Cai saying that a similar incident had taken place last year.

Lianhe Zaobao reported on a flooding incident at the food centre as long ago as August 2019. It caused foul-smelling water to accumulate on the floor and affected stallholders’ business, the paper said.

Naz said that the food centre has always had flooding issues, especially after heavy rain.

While sometimes it’s not serious, other times it would affect business, he added.

The Chairman of the Eunos Crescent Market Merchants’ Association, a man surnamed Xu (transliterated from Mandarin), said the flooding can occur once every few years, but occasionally happens a few times a year.

While he was not sure of the specific cause of the latest flooding incident, he suggested it could be due to the drainage system or blocked pipes due to stallholders accidentally flushing debris down the drain.

He hoped the situation could be improved as it affects the stallholders.

Water receded by 10am

Workers from the town council soon arrived to clear the water, which receded by about 10am, Shin Min observed.

Mr Xu said the town council regularly cleans the grease traps and drains every two weeks or a month.

Eunos Crescent Food Centre is scheduled to undergo cleaning for two days at the end of this month, from 29 to 30 Sept, according to the National Environment Agency (NEA).

Also read: Yishun coffee shop flooded with ankle-deep water amid heavy rain, stallholders say they lost business

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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News.