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A 60-year-old Bedok resident, surnamed Zhou, has had a smoking habit for many years.

However, recent smoke breaks at his HDB flat's kitchen window have been marked by a new development: his upstairs neighbour pouring water on him, in protest against the secondhand smoke wafting up, Lianhe Wanbao reported.

This has happened four times in the last two months, leaving Zhou with wet hands.

During the first three occasions, he did not suspect that he was being targeted, and assumed that his neighbour had been washing her windows.

However, he was able to connect the dots when she yelled an admonishment down at him on the fourth time, telling him not to smoke.

The upstairs neighbour, surnamed Yang, lives in the unit immediately above Zhou's, and complained that the situation had gotten worse since the start of the year.

According to Yang, the smell of secondhand smoke in her home can linger, even till 1am or 2am.

Yang, 68, told Wanbao of her concerns about secondhand smoke from Zhou's unit, explaining that her 72-year-old husband was not in good health, and has resorted to wearing a mask at home.

Yang said that she had gone downstairs twice in September seeking to resolve the dispute, but Zhou insisted that he could not change his habit.

Zhou candidly admitted that he smokes around 20 cigarettes a day.

Zhou, who is 64, told Wanbao that the three tenants in his flat did not take issue with his smoking habits. He said:

"Is it any of her business that I smoke in my own house? Did I do anything wrong?"

Where is smoking allowed within HDB estates?

Smokers have very limited options when it comes to smoking in HDB estates.

The list of places where smoking is prohibited includes "any common area in any residential premises or building".

This includes void decks, stairwells, courtyards, common corridors and lobbies.

The issue of secondhand smoke in the context of high-rise HDB dwellings has even arisen in Parliament, with a number of Members of Parliament (MPs) calling attention to the issue and even suggesting a ban on smoking in homes.

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