Secondhand smoke has always been a problem in Singapore. How do we strike that sweet balance between providing a space for smoking and maintaining the air quality for non-smokers?
Well, it seems like a compromise may have been reached with the development of smoking cabins designed specially for smokers.
Here’s all that you need to know.
There Are Air-Conditioned Smoking Cabins in a Clementi Estate So People Won’t Smoke at Home
These smoking cabins have been placed at Clementi Ridges and Trivelis, both of which are located in Clementi Avenue 4.
They were launched on Wednesday (30 June).
Designated smoking zones had previously been trialled in public housing estates, such as pavilions that had been set up at Nee Soon South constituency.
According to Ms Sim Ann, Grassroots Adviser for the Bukit Timah Division, these cabins came after a rise in complaints of secondhand smoke in the neighbourhood, fuelled by more people working from home during the pandemic.
They will be in operation for at least one year so that their effectiveness can be adequately assessed.
The smoking cabin at Trivelis is around 3m by 2.5m and is air-conditioned. It is also enclosed and equipped with a filtering system and was developed by Smoking Cabin SG.
The smoking cabin at Clementi Ridges is around 4m by 3m. It is an open-air unit developed by ST engineering and is equipped with a cooling system that operates for 15 minutes upon the pressing of a button.
According to Mr Gareth Tang, senior vice-president for urban environment solutions at ST Engineering, “It runs on very sustainable cooling, and we have open ventilation, ensuring it is a very clean and comfortable environment for the users, as well as the non-user.”
He also added that the system “consumes very low energy, doesn’t generate any waste heat.” He shared that the system costs only 30 cents to run, and that the cost is “nearly negligible” when on standby.
According to Ms Sim, the costs for these cabins were funded through donations.
Each Unit Can Hold Up to Four Individuals
In adherence to COVID-19 safe distancing regulations, each unit can hold up to four individuals. Users must also use TraceTogether to check into these cabins before usage.
The smoking cabin at Trivelis is equipped with a closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera, and Ms Sim has stated that authorities are prepared to close the units if the problem of crowding crops up.
Ms Sim said that the outcome of the trials must first be assessed before a decision is made on whether or not these cabins will be implemented in more estates throughout Singapore.
The Ministry of Sustainability and Environment and Temasek Polytechnic will be collaborating to evaluate the effectiveness of the smoking cabins.
Ms Sim said that the metrics that can be used to evaluate effectiveness could include the rates of usage of these cabins, as well as whether or not there is a decrease in complaints about secondhand smoke.
Featured Image: Facebook (Espirit Building and Engineering Pte Ltd)
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