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Contributor stunned to see child defecating outside Serangoon MRT despite toilet 20 metres away

By Town Tales Pro Editorial 329 reactions
Commuters entering an underground MRT station
Illustrative photo. Location: Serangoon MRT station exit towards Nex shopping mall.

A contributor walking towards Serangoon MRT station on Saturday morning told Town Tales Pro he stopped when he noticed a parent directing a young child to defecate on the pavement outside the station exit, less than 20 metres from an open public restroom.

"I could not believe it," the contributor, Mr Goh, said. "The toilet sign is right there. I checked — the door was open, lights were on, nobody was queuing. But the parent just let the child go on the ground beside the bike racks."

According to Mr Goh, the incident occurred at approximately 9:40am near Exit C of Serangoon station, an area heavily used by families heading to Nex and nearby bus stops. He said several commuters walked past and looked uncomfortable, but nobody intervened.

Public cleanliness concerns

Singapore's Environmental Public Health Act prohibits urinating or defecating in public places. While enforcement typically focuses on adult offenders, the incident has reignited debate about parental responsibility in shared spaces around MRT stations and shopping centres.

Mr Goh submitted two photographs to Town Tales Pro showing the location and the proximity of the restroom entrance. Our editorial team verified that the restroom was operational at the time through a follow-up visit on Monday morning.

Community response

Commenters on the story have largely criticised the parent's decision, with several contributors from Serangoon sharing similar observations near the station during weekend mornings. Others argued that emergency situations involving young children can be difficult to judge from a brief observation alone.

Town Tales Pro has redacted identifying details about the parent and child. No complaint to the National Environment Agency has been confirmed at the time of publication.