Imagine this: You want to air out your home and open up all the windows.
But instead of smelling fresh air in the morning, you noticed a burning smell that reminds you of the times you walked past a smoking point before the entire Covid-19 pandemic started.
Ah, it seems like your neighbour above has woken up.
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Now, there are some people who can let it go because, well, smoking’s a need for some, right?
However, there are others who aren’t as quick to forgive and lodged a police report.
Smoking-Related Complaints in HDB Increased 6 Times in 2020
According to Ms Sim Ann, the Senior Minister of State for National Development, smoking-related complaints in HDB has increased by 6 times this year.
In the first nine months of 2017, the amount of smoking-related complaints in HDB was 216.
In the first nine months of 2020, however, it has jumped to 1,290, 6 times of what it was 3 years ago.
However, she added, it was impossible to note if the complaints were related to smoking at common areas like the void deck or corridors, or within the residents’ home.
As for why it’s important to note this distinction, it’s because she’s replying to queries from Mr Louis Ng, the MP for Nee Soon GRC, who is now concerned with secondhand cigarette smoke within homes.
MP Calls for Ban on Smoking Near Windows
If you remember, Nee Soon MP Louis Ng had called for a ban on smoking near windows or balconies of their home in early October.
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In his opinion, it’s “crazy” that one should be threatened by the fatal risks of secondhand smoke in his own home.
But then again, he refuses to believe that banning smoking in HDB flats is the solution.
Instead, he aims to find a middle ground where we could “respect the rights of smokers but at the same time protect the health of non-smokers”.
He even did an entertaining and informative video about this issue:
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The Culprit: Circuit Breaker Measures
Apparently, it’s not just secondhand cigarette smoke.
According to the senior minister, the circuit breaker also saw an increase in the number of feedback on “disamenities”.
“Feedback on disamenities” sounds chim but basically, they’re complaints about living in an estate.
This includes “cigarette smoke, noise, foul smells, neighbourly disputes and more.”
From Jan to Mar 2020, HDB receives, on average, about 600 cases per month.
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From April to July 2020, the number increased to 2,100 cases of feedback per month, more than 3 times the Jan to Mar period.
She suggests that it’s because more people are studying or working from home.
Then, from August towards, the number has fallen to 1,500 cases a month, likely due to people returning to workplaces or schools.
Just to showcase how 2020 (and circuit breaker measures) have led to increased friction between neighbours, 2015 to 2019 saw an average of 3,400 feedback cases per year.
Nonetheless, HDB will pay more attention to neighbour disputes and strengthen community ties, she added.
Neighbours’ Dispute Over Smoking At Home
Earlier in Sep 2020, an elderly woman poured water onto a resident who stays at a lower floor every time he smokes.
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The secondhand smoke will drift into her home every time he does it, especially if the wind is blowing into her house.
The smoker, on the other hand, was mad at her actions and said that “it wasn’t her business” that he smoked in his own home.
Many people are largely supportive of a ban on smoking at all residential properties but the government has been hesitant to do so, saying that it’s an invasion of private space.
Nee Soon has previously trialled a total of 50 smoking points across various residential estates in the ward.
If the pilot works, it’ll be spread to other areas in Singapore and resolve the dispute between smokers and non-smokers at home.
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Unfortunately, as of 2018, it seems that the pilot’s objectives haven’t been met yet.
You can find out more here.
Featured Image: YouTube / Google Maps
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