Ion Orchard forced to close all toilets

Shopping centre Ion Orchard had to close all its toilets on Saturday afternoon due to a slowdown in its water supply, affecting both customers and staff.

The mall’s spokesman said that water supply had slowed down considerably, prompting management to close all its toilets around 4pm so water could be channeled to restaurants and eateries.

Ion Orchard, which houses a number of luxurious brands, has toilets on six of its eight levels, reported The Straits Times.

The problem with the water supply was detected by restroom attendants at about 2pm, after which the duty manager was alerted to the issue, added the spokesman.

PUB, which was subsequently informed of the issue, said checks by its officers showed no sign of problems with the water pressure at the PUB water main which supplies water to the area, and that there was no disruption in supply to water tanks in Ion Orchard.

Its spokesperson said that amenities such as restaurants and toilets in the mall, however, experienced low water pressure. She added that PUB is working with the management to locate the source of the problem.

PUB-conducted checks on the water supply to neighbouring buildings showed everything was normal.

On Saturday evening, signs were put outside the toilets to inform customers that restrooms were closed, and advised them to proceed to neighbouring Wisma Atria instead.

Meanwhile, both customers and staff at the mall said they were inconvenienced by the issue, said the same paper.

Those affected include restaurant staff from Canton-I and MeatWorks who said the water supply meant that they were unable to wash cutlery and crockery quickly.

How Wei Xian, a 29-year-old systems analyst said, “It’s not really a big deal for me as I can walk over to Wisma Atria to use its toilet. But it's just surprising that such a big mall has to close all of its toilets on a Saturday, a day when many people are out shopping.”