One household uses thinner to kill insects, five neighbors complain due to foul odor that affects their lives

SINGAPORE: Five households complained that their neighbour has been using a ‘thinner’ to kill insects over the past three months, and the thick smell that comes with the chemical has been affecting their daily lives to the point that they could no longer handle it and called the police. 

A 77-year-old resident reported to Shin Min Daily News that he once smelled a strong odour while having dinner, and it caused him difficulty swallowing his food. Another resident, a 63-year-old woman, admitted that the smell was affecting her family’s living situation. Both of these residents stated that the smell was coming from a unit downstairs. 

Those residents who live on the same floor as the unit from which the strong odour was detected also had their own share of unfortunate stories. The resident who lives across the unit admitted: “Once, my granddaughter was in the elevator with a resident of that unit, and she smelled a strong odour on the other person as well.” 

Given that this was not the first time they had encountered such a nuisance, the residents decided to call the authorities to report the unit and investigate what was happening. One of the neighbours stated that the police left the unit after staying for an hour. 

Moreover, the Civil Defence Force confirmed that they received the report, and several workers also visited the unit to check the situation. 

In similar HDB complaints about a terrible smell being a disturbance to others, it was also reported that some residents of several HDB flats complained that their neighbour kept his two dogs in his home and just allowed them to defecate and urinate inside the unit and in the corridor, which also caused a foul smell that affected their daily living.

With this, the neighbouring units had to keep their doors and windows closed to cast away the stench.  Read more of the story here.