Almost every night, Anuar has to brace himself for noise from children playing soccer on the ground floor of the building.
Singapore's HDB flats often have an open space on the ground floor, used for community activities. In Afiq Anuar's building, a group of children used this space to play soccer, disrupting the life of the Anuar family on the second floor.
The 33-year-old chef said his three sons were unable to nap or do their homework due to the screaming, ball bouncing and swearing. When he heard his sons repeating the same swear words used by the soccer team, Anuar decided to take action.
In August 2023, he put up six posters on the ground floor, asking the group of kids not to play soccer. “When you have 15 people kicking a soccer ball, shouting, swearing, you can’t stand it,” Anuar said.
The next day, some of the boys removed the posters and continued playing.
Children play football at the ground floor community space of an HDB building in Woodlands, Singapore. Photo: ST
Anuar is not the only one affected by noise from his neighbours in Singapore. HDB flats are public housing built by the Singapore government , sold directly to residents with a 99-year ownership period. About 80% of Singaporeans live in public housing.
Several public facilities across the island nation have been closed due to noise complaints in residential areas.
In November 2023, Sembawang Council temporarily closed a ground floor space in the area after residents complained about school children playing and shouting. A month later, a street football pitch in Bedok North was temporarily closed due to a group using the pitch late at night causing noise.
The situation has sparked debate in the country, with many sympathising with those affected, while others believe Singaporeans are becoming less tolerant of their neighbours.
Noise complaints in Singapore have increased during the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2021, the Housing Board received 3,200 complaints per month, falling to 2,300 per month in 2022 and 2,150 per month in 2023. But this is much higher than the average of 400 complaints per month in 2019.
Anuar’s family has been dealing with noise since moving into their Woodlands apartment in 2022. He initially thought children playing around would not cause much of a disturbance. A year later, he has made 20 complaints via the OneService mobile app, called the police 10 times, and approached the press and officials, but nothing has changed.
Direct criticism of the children was also futile. Madam Mas, 62, another second-floor resident, said the games often kept her three-year-old granddaughter awake and she had repeatedly scolded the children. “They apologized and then continued playing 10 minutes later,” she said.
Families in a building in Hougang have also endured loud knocking from neighbors for more than 10 years. The families tried to complain, but the landlord was difficult to approach. They tried to take the matter to court in 2016, but gave up because of the cumbersome process.
Moving is also not feasible. "My parents are old, moving requires financial considerations. We are victims, why should we suffer in exchange for peace?", one person said.
Noise from children playing soccer heard from the second floor of an HDB block in Woodlands, Singapore. Video : ST
In Yew Tee, Patrick, 42, has trouble sleeping every night because of the noise upstairs. At night and in the early morning, he hears things falling. During the day, he hears people running and doing aerobics.
“It’s like I’m living in a drum, and my neighbors are the ones holding the drumsticks,” Patrick said. “I wish the authorities would do more. This is a big issue, it’s related to sleep quality and mental health.”
Singapore's parliament recently discussed noise pollution in residential areas. "The temporary closure of public spaces shows that there is no compromise on this issue. Noisy behaviour is unacceptable," said MP Harun Alhabsyi.
The Ministry of National Development said the series of closures were drastic but necessary to balance the interests of the people. Minister Faishal Ibrahim stressed that the moves were not taken lightly.
MP Yip Hon Weng has supported the creation of the Municipal Services Office (MSO), a coordinating body under the Ministry of National Development, to create the OneService app to collect complaints. He said common complaints are often related to construction noise and noise in residential areas.
When noise conflicts arise between neighbors, Mr. Weng often asks the building management to facilitate dialogue between the parties, or encourages them to go to the Community Mediation Center (CMC), where trained volunteers help mediate between the parties involved.
A ground floor community area in an HDB building is temporarily closed. Photo: ST
But only 30% of complainants turn to the CMC, even though it successfully mediates more than 80% of cases. Many lawmakers also struggle to convince residents with noise conflicts to participate in mediation. Even when mediation is successful, one party may not comply with its obligations under the agreement.
If the conciliation process fails, residents can apply to the Community Dispute Resolution Tribunal (CDRT), which can order offending residents to stop making noise or require them to pay damages.
Singapore has planned to set up a new unit by the end of 2023 to address long-standing and serious noise pollution disputes between neighbours. The unit will be empowered to investigate disputes and prevent certain types of noise pollution. However, the plan has not been finalized.
The government also proposed mandatory mediation after a public consultation last year. Those involved in noise conflicts could be fined if they fail to attend mandatory mediation sessions.
An HDB housing block in Singapore. Photo: ST
According to MSO, promoting social norms and government intervention must go hand in hand in this regard. MSO is also providing basic training to some local leaders to deal with noise conflicts.
The office has also set up a free noise experience room in Tanglin Halt, allowing residents to experience how their everyday actions can create noise that impacts their neighbours. The room is open until the end of January.
“Although mediation can be challenging, it is a sustainable and meaningful way to achieve mutual benefits for all parties,” said MP Alhabsyi, who is also a psychiatrist.
Duc Trung (According to Strait Times, AFP )
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