Cracks appear after re-roofing works at HDB blocks in Bedok

Some top-floor residents in Jalan Tenaga estate worried about structural integrity of their units

- Wong Yang

On the day that contractors started hacking at the roof of Mr Tan's Housing Board block in Jalan Tenaga in October, a roughly 2m-long crack appeared on the ceiling of his top-floor unit.

The crack opened right above the spot in his bedroom where the retired policeman would lay his head when he went to sleep each night.

Mr Tan, who declined to give his full name, told The Straits Times in Mandarin: "I worry that if the crack gets worse, the ceiling could suddenly drop on me when I'm in bed."

The hacking is part of re-roofing works that are being done at the 17 blocks in the Jalan Tenaga estate in Bedok.

Mr Tan's household is one of at least four living on the top floor of this estate near Bedok Reservoir that have noticed cracks in their flats after the works started two to three months ago.

The 75-year-old, who lives in the flat with his wife, reported the crack in his bedroom to the town council in October, prompting it to send a representative to his four-room executive apartment to take photos of the damaged area.

But a few days later, a second, longer crack measuring about 3m appeared in the living room.

"The town council sent someone down to take photos again, and said it will come and fix things once the re-roofing works are done," said Mr Tan. "I'm quite confident it will resolve the issue, but for now, we just have to hope the cracks do not get more serious."

A notice at the lift lobby of Mr Tan's block said the re-roofing works - which typically involve hacking off the surface of the roof and replacing it with a new waterproofing membrane - for the block are expected to be completed by Dec 13.