Housing woes: ‘We’ve learned our lesson’

Rachel Thien
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

THE Minister of Development yesterday admitted that construction for the national housing scheme could be further improved following complaints of water leaking from rooftops and ceilings with gaping holes.

During the ninth day of the 11th Legislative Council (LegCo) session, Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Indera Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Hj Suyoi Hj Osman said action has been taken to rectify the construction problems.

“Looking back, we have learned our lesson from this episode. The house design, and the type or design of roofing adopted were incompatible with the climate here,” he said.

The minister was responding to YB Hj Awang Ahmad Morshidi POKDSDDLU Hj Awang Abdul Rahman’s remarks that some semi-detached houses at Tanah Jambu National Housing Scheme were facing water leaks and other housing issues.

YB Hj Awang Ahmad Morshidi said residents of the semi-detached houses were still awaiting repairs.

He added that the affected residents had filed complaints to the relevant department in February 2014, before 10 houses were repaired with new roofing in the middle of last year.

However, he said some residents still had to contend with water leaks, and had re-submitted their complaints last month.

The minister said they need to come up with a roofing design that best suits the weather conditions in Brunei.

“InsyaAllah, such a mistake of using the flat roof for those housing schemes will not be repeated. We will repair the affected houses and the Housing Development Department will monitor the situation and take necessary action,” he said.


Sumber - The Brunei Times