NEA Investigates Reports of Mysterious Odors Without Identifying Their Source
Singapore – Is land being cleared for oil palm plantations in Indonesia? Is the dreaded haze making a comeback? Are residents in the east hosting endless barbecues? Or is there a significant fire in Tampines? The source of the burning smell remains a mystery.
Recent days have seen numerous reports of burning odors in eastern Singapore, but the National Environment Agency (NEA) has stated that these smells are not linked to hotspots or localized industrial incidents.
“Burning smell since this morning. Now nighttime smell getting stronger,” netizen Norizan Rashid posted on Wednesday on the Facebook page Complaint Singapore, inquiring if others were experiencing similar scents from the eastern region.
“It’s not the haze season, so I don’t think that’s the cause of it,” she noted. “I was working my night shift at the airport last night; the smell was super strong. Now back at home in Tampines Street 81, I still smell it.”
Other Facebook users echoed her sentiments, reporting similar experiences. “A little bit on Monday, then it got stronger yesterday,” said user Rayne Woo, who mentioned that the smell triggered her asthma.
“Same here. Strong smell in Tampines St 21. My allergies acted up. Kept sneezing, and my eyes were watery,” commented another netizen and TISG reader, M. Others noted that the burning smell was also detected in the Pasir Ris and Bedok areas.
The NEA has received reports about these odors and has inspected the affected regions. “NEA’s checks did not find any local industrial incident that could have caused the smell,” the agency reported to Channel News Asia.
“The Singapore Civil Defence Force also confirmed that they did not respond to any incidents involving open burning in the eastern part of Singapore.” Furthermore, the NEA stated that no hotspots were detected in the eastern region.
According to NEA, “The 1-hour PM2.5 concentration readings have remained within the normal band (Band I) and 24-hour PSI levels have been within the ‘Good’ to ‘Moderate’ range,” referring to the air quality in the area.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the NEA has not received additional feedback regarding the issue but will continue to monitor the situation.
