Punggol HDB residents concerned over safety risks of hanging clothes outside balconies
Residents at a Punggol HDB estate have drawn concern from others after hanging their clothes outside the external walls of their balconies.
Shin Min Daily News found that Blocks 308A and 308B in Punggol’s Waterway Terraces had multiple households drying laundry over the external walls.
Others put up clothes-drying racks in the balcony areas, while one household even hung laundry on strings tied to the wall.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
Resident concerned about aesthetics and safety issues
These laundry methods have sparked concerns amongst other residents in Waterway Terraces.
On 19 June, one of them wrote in to The Straits Times, complaining that the laundry affected the “appearance and liveability” of the estate.
She also brought up safety risks of the practice.
“It is disheartening to see such disregard for the shared environment,” wrote the resident who urged the authorities to take action.
Shin Min Daily News reported seeing five hangers with clothes left at the fire risers on the first floor of the HDB block.
It is believed that they fell off the balconies into the car park due to strong winds.
Passers-by then moved them to the risers.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
Other residents complain about small size of balconies
Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, a 39-year-old resident, Ms Cheng (transliterated), explained that the clothes-drying area of her home did not get much sunlight.
She also found it inconvenient to use the balcony as her clothes got wet easily on rainy days.
Additionally, Ms Cheng noted the risk of a hanger falling off the exterior wall and hitting someone. As such, she uses a dryer instead.
However, some residents believed that the space in the balcony was meant for hanging laundry and saw no issues as long as there was no danger.
Another resident, 45-year-old Ms Liang (transliterated), uses a clothes rack on the balcony, as she also does not get much sunlight at her clothes-drying area.
However, she noted that there was little space there.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
Other residents similarly complained about the balcony space in Waterway Terraces being too small for practical use.
They thus could only use it as a drying place for their laundry.
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News.
