SINGAPORE: A Singaporean concerned about the second-hand smoke that enters his flat crowdsourced for help online, asking what can be done about the situation.
Seeking help, u/jollyseaman wrote in an r/askSingapore thread that he lives in a common corridor unit that faces the stairwell.
The door to the stairwell is usually closed, and when he’s home, his main door is kept open while his gate is locked.
In the course of the year he has lived at this apartment, he has not had any quarrels with his neighbour.
However, he claims that his neighbour smokes every hour when he returns from work, and on the weekends, can smoke up to 10 to 15 sticks when he’s at home.
So far, he hasn’t reported the matter to the authorities in order to preserve the peace on their floor.
However, he asked for suggestions as to what he should do to stop the second-hand smoke from entering his flat.
Under the Smoking (Prohibition in Certain Places) Regulations, smoking is not allowed at void decks and common areas such as corridors and staircases at HDB blocks.
Grace Fu, the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment, said this in answer to a question in Parliament in 2021 when smoking-related issues came up as many people were working from home in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
While recognizing the dangers of second-hand smoke, the Housing and Development Board said it was looking for solutions to address the issue, which included encouraging aggrieved residents to engage their neighbour who smokes in dialogue or if necessary, mediation.
Should this fail, HDB added that a neighbour dispute claim could be filed for Community Dispute Resolution Tribunal proceedings.
Research shows that inhaling secondhand smoke can cause lung cancer in non-smokers. Additionally, it increases the risk of other cancers, such as breast cancer and leukaemia in adults, as well as brain tumours in children.
Commenters on u/jollyseaman said he could report the matter using the OneService app.
“Once you reported on One service App, someone that works for the government will come and assist you. Either through a phone call / visit your house directly. NEA will then proceed to paste a paper telling people not to smoke, and the penalties when you do it,” wrote someone who reported a neighbor who smoked inside the lift.
One netizens suggested that he set up fans to help blow the smoke away, while another suggested that he spray insecticide in the stairwell.
Another wrote that he has the same problem because his neighbour’s second-hand smoke enters through his bathroom.
Some told him the best way was to simply speak to the neighbour and ask him to stop smoking at the stairwell. /TISG
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