Singapore: The management of a Katong condo recently faced a disgusting situation when the property’s pool became contaminated with human faeces. A notice photo was posted on Sgfollowsall’s Instagram, by Butterworth 8’s management on June 9th, Sunday. . Butterworth 8, managed by Savills Property Management, is a condominium in the Katong area.
The notice, dated June 8, informed residents that the main swimming pool would be temporarily closed for three days. Additionally, a picture of the pile of faeces at the bottom of the pool was attached to the notice.
The swimming pool vendor has since cleaned and vacuumed up the waste material, and will be treating the water for three days “until further notice”, the estate management wrote. They also requested residents to step forward to help identify the culprit, if anyone eye witnessed the incident.
They added “We apologise for the inconvenience caused and look forward to your cooperation with us. All necessary steps will be taken to minimise inconvenience to residents of Butterworth 8.”
Maintaining Cleanliness In Swimming Pool
Cleaning a Swimming pool that has been contaminated with human waste isn’t so easy. Even though the chlorine in the water kills most of the germs spread from the faeces, some germs take several minutes or even days to kill.
“We have to add soda ash, chlorine and acid, which will kill the germs. It will take about an hour. Then we let the water run,” said freelance pool cleaner Chris Rajoo Jayakrishnan in that report.
Apart from the efforts made by the estate management and the swimming pool vendor to maintain hygiene standards, the National Environment Agency (NEA) also performs regular inspections of pools once a month ensuring hygiene. This includes swimming pools, water playgrounds and spa pools located at all non-residential premises. Also, Pool water is tested by laboratories for chemical and bacteriological quality.
If pool operators are found to violate these regulations during these inspections, they can face fines of up to $2,000 for each offence.
