Singapore – A dispute broke out after one resident complained about the “pungent” smell coming from her neighbour’s cooking.
The neighbours, who reside at Block 26 Marsiling Drive, attended mediation at the Community Mediation Centre (CMC) over the dispute, reported the Chinese newspaper Shin Min Daily News on Saturday (May 29).
According to the 61-year-old housewife, her neighbour enjoyed cooking fried fish, chicken wings and curry, among other dishes, every day.
The woman claimed that the “pungent smell of oily smoke” would often drift up to her apartment, filling her living room and bedrooms.
She had to close her windows every day to keep out the smoke and smell.
The woman told Shin Min that this had been going on for five to six years though her family had complained to the town council several times against the neighbour.
They had also complained to the police more than 10 times.
Eventually, the issue was placed before the CMC for mediation.
The resolution reached by both neighbours states that the family living downstairs is allowed to cook during only three scheduled periods in the day: 10.30 am – 12.30 pm, 4 pm – 6 pm and 8 pm to 10 pm.
However, the family living in the upstairs unit claimed that the neighbour broke the agreement after two weeks.
The woman added that her daughter had recently got pregnant. She worries that the smoke would affect the foetus.
Meanwhile, they experience a lack of air circulation amid “unbearable” heat due to the closed windows.
The woman also claimed that her son, who is working from home, cannot concentrate on his tasks due to the heat.
It was revealed that the woman living downstairs needed to cook for her family of six children, her husband and herself.
“Why is it wrong to cook in my own home? I have a lot of family members, which is why I need to cook for a longer time,” the woman explained.
She also shared that her family is worn out from the lengthy dispute with their neighbour, adding that she had been following the agreement set by the CMC.
As a result, her family would often have to wait to eat breakfast as she can only cook at 10.30 am, Shin Min reported.
At one point, the woman living upstairs shouted angrily at her neighbour, claiming they had not followed the specified time to cook.
Her neighbours then rushed up to their unit and banged on her door, resulting in an altercation.
The woman living upstairs claimed she only told her downstairs neighbour it wasn’t time to cook while the latter complained that the shouting had interrupted her husband’s sleep./TISG
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